Katherine Chappell, a visual effects editor on the Emmy-winning HBO series Game Of Thrones, has been identified as the woman who was killed by a lion at a South African safari park on Monday.
Katherine was described as a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman
Chappell was visiting The Lion Park – 30km (19 miles) north of Johannesburg – on her holidays when a lion jumped through an open car window. Assistant manager Scott Simpson said, “The lioness jumped through the open window and started mauling the woman.” Another man, who has been confirmed as her tour guide and was travelling in the same car, is still receiving treatment for his injuries.
Visitors to the popular tourist destination are warned to keep all windows and doors shut, particularly while driving through the big cat enclosure.
The 29-year-old was a member of the visual effects team for Game Of Thrones that won an Emmy for the 2014 episode ‘The Children’. Her sister, Jennifer, posted a tribute to her on Facebook Monday evening:
“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.”
Chappell, who was born in New York, moved to Vancouver in Canada in 2013, in order to work on the HBO series. She had also worked on films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Divergent.
Her funeral will take place on Saturday in her hometown of Rye in New York.
