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Barman eaten by lions after party
Dangerous ... man was eaten alive after being dragged into lions' enclosure
By STAFF REPORTER
Published: 01 Nov 2010
A DRUNK barman at a game reserve was eaten alive by three lions following a marathon drinking session.
Jan-Friederick Bredenhand, 30, was pulled into the lions' pen by his legs after climbing up a fence pole, and was "ripped to pieces". Police believe the food and drinks manager was drunk and wanted to "play" with the animals after an all-night party at the wildlife park in South Africa. Tourist Veluchia Hassim told of seeing the beasts chewing on his carcass after being woken by screams at 5am on Sunday.
She said: "We ran to the encampment. It was horrific. The one lion was gnawing on his ribs when we got there." The wildlife resort's owner, Johnny Janse van Rensburg, had to shoot the animals dead — just two weeks after he bought the business — so cops could recover the victim's remains. A friend of Mr Bredenhand, Jamiel Jonas, said they had been partying all night.
He said: "After they braaied (barbecued) and partied at the ranch entrance, they came back home, but he wanted to play with the lions. "Then just after 5am his friend came screaming for us to phone the police and for an ambulance. He was drunk. "When we got to the camp we saw the remains of his body. Most of his stomach was torn out and his leg had been ripped off."
Police spokeswoman Gerda Swart said Mr Bredenhand is believed to have been seized by the legs and dragged to his gruesome death. She said: "He climbed the fence around their enclosure and clearly got too close. "Since he was drunk he may not have been in sound mind, but it was an incredibly dangerous and stupid thing to do. "People who play dangerous games with animals like lions are asking for trouble - and he got it."
He was caught by a lone lion. Ms Swart added: "After that there was nothing he could do - another male lion and a female joined the attack and ripped him to pieces. "The man's friend watched the whole thing happen but couldn't do anything to help. He was very traumatised." The victim's pal, Simon, ran to get help and flagged down a passing motorist.
Waldo Le Roux said: "He (Simon) came out of nowhere and was suddenly in the road right in front of me. "I drove past, but he looked so upset that I turned around. "He was screaming 'please help me, my friend is being eaten by a lion'." Mr La Roux ran to the enclosure but Mr Bredenhand was already dead. He said: "I tugged at the fence but I couldn't do anything." The incident happened at the privately-run Addo Croc and Lion Ranch near Port Elizabeth.
Mr van Rensburg added: "There was no reason for him to be there. "He was the bar and restaurant manager so he was not involved with the lions." He had only been working at the resort for a month. The incident was the second fatal lion attack at the ranch. Former owner Lourens van Straaten was mauled by a male lion in July 2005 and declared brain dead a few days later. He had been repairing an electric fence.
