Woman Killed By Lion In Africa Was From NY; Funeral Saturday

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published June 3, 2015 at 4:45 PM EDT

Police are reportedly guarding the home of Katie Chappell in Rye.

The American who was mauled to death by a lion in a South Africa game preserve has been identified as a woman who grew up in Westchester County.

Katherine Chappell's funeral is planned for Saturday. Gene Guarino, director of the Graham Funeral Home in Rye, New York, confirmed that Chappell was the victim in Monday's attack in the Lion Park north of Johannesburg.

Chappell's family in Rye posted a statement on Facebook describing her as brilliant, kind and adventurous.

A park official said the woman was attacked through an open car window as she took photos. The driver also was injured. The official says park rules require car windows to be closed.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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