Animal lover raising money for charity eaten by lion

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obviously rules do not apply to her.


The American tourist who was mauled to death by a lion on a South African safari has been identified as a 29-year-old film editor who worked on an Emmy winning episode of Game of Thrones – as the tour guide who tried to save her life relived the moment he suffered a heart attack during the incident.

Katherine Chappell, who was in Africa raising money for a charitable organization that protects animals from poachers, was killed by the lioness as she took pictures during a drive through the popular Lion Park, near Johannesburg, on Monday afternoon.

Chappell's sister confirmed her identity in a touching message posted on social media saying their family were devastated by the tragedy.

Her tribute came as tour guide Pierre Potgeiter, 66, told MailOnline how he had suffered a heart attack as he tried to save Ms Chappell's life.



Daily Mail Online can now reveal that Katherine Chappell traveled to South Africa a week ago via London from Vancouver, Canada, where she had been living and working as a visual effects editor since 2013.

After working as an assistant for several production outfits around New York, in November 2013 Chappell was hired as a video effects editor at Scanline - an award-winning production company with offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Germany.

During her tenure at Scanline, Chappell helped create graphic effects for HBO's hit series Game of Thrones and feature films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Divergence.

She also worked on the Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller and Noah, starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe.

Chappell also was part of the team that won a Primetime Emmy for the 2014 Game of Thrones episode The Children.
On the eve of the deadly lion attack, Chappell shared a photo of a receipt from a Johannesburg hotspot called Six Cocktail Bar. Under 'customer name' the bar staff typed 'American.'

'Also notice how cheap the drinks are...currency is in rand,' Chappell boasted to her friends in what has turned out to be her final Instagram post.

On Monday, she and Mr Potgeiter took a drive through the Lion Park in a white four-by-four.

At about 2.30pm, Miss Chappell was taking pictures when the lioness attacked her through her open window - which was down despite advice to the contrary.

In a statement released by Corlien, on behalf of their business Kalabash Tours, said Miss Chappell had prompted the attack ‘of her own accord’ by lowering a window to take pictures.

Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman. Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans. She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.


'The tourist had a camera and, of her own accord, rolled down the passenger window in order to take photographs. A lion then attacked the tourist through the open window, ‘ the statement said.

'Mr Potgieter tried to fend the lioness off and in the process sustained injuries to his arm. When the lion retreated, Mr Potgieter saw that the tourist had sustained extremely serious injuries.

'She was bleeding profusely from her neck. Under the circumstances Mr Potgieter tried his best to stop the bleeding and save her life.

'He applied constant pressure to stop the bleeding, while calling for help.'

The statement also accused Lion Park staff of failing to assist in attempts to save the stricken tourist who was bleeding heavily from the neck.



The US State Department confirmed the American tourist's death in Lion Park, Johannesburg, on June 1 in a statement released to Daily Mail Online Tuesday evening.

'We are providing all possible consular assistance,' Julia Straker, a State Department spokesperson, stated. 'We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim of this terrible tragedy.'

According to public records, Katherine Chappell was born in December 1985. Earlier reports erroneously claimed that she was 22 years old at the time of her death.

Her parents, Jonathan and Mary Elaine Chappell, two sisters and a brother all reside in Westchester County, New York. The family also have ties to Chicago.

On Tuesday evening, Katherine's younger sibling, Jennifer Chappell, paid tribute to the 29-year-old woman in a touching Facebook post, confirming that the tragic accident that claimed her life took place while her sister was on a mission to protect wildlife in South Africa.

'Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman. Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans,' Jennifer Chappell wrote. 'She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.'

In March, Ms Chappell launched a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise $1,300 for the group Wildlife ACT, which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of animals in South Africa.

'I will be assisting rangers in tracking and monitoring animals, setting up camera traps, participating in poaching prevention techniques, providing support and assistance to veternarians [sic], and be involved in game capture and relocation,' Ms Chappell wrote in the description of her fundraiser.

According to her online resume, Katherine, known to her friends as Kate, graduated from Hofstra University in Long Island in 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in film studies and production, and Japanese language.

During the fall 2007 semester, Chappell was named to the Dean’s List for earning a GPA of 3.4 or higher.


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