While walking through the veld of Zimbabwe, a Global Rescue member was ambushed by a waiting lioness, which knocked him to the ground and bit into both of his hands and his right wrist. As the young man fought to keep the animal from sinking its teeth into his jugular, his partner successfully subdued the lioness, and then called for help.

Global Rescue provided a field rescue from the remote location to a qualified hospital in the region. There, surgeons cleaned his lacerations, and acting upon recommendations from Global Rescue and Johns Hopkins, did not immediately close the wounds as there was a significant risk that they would become infected. (Infections from bacteria in a lion’s mouth lead to dangerous complications in cases like these, and are the cause of a significant percentage of resulting fatalities.)

When the doctors were confident that his wounds were ready to be closed, the man’s hands were sutured, and he elected to continue the rest of his vacation in Africa.