Pretoria - While the nation voices unfavourable opinions about the way Leon van Biljon was mauled to death by his three lions on Tuesday, his family is at peace with what happened and would not want it any other way.
Speaking to the Pretoria News on Thursday straight from the mortuary to finalise her father’s funeral arrangement, Leonette van Wyk, 46, said the family were at ease that he left the Earth because of his “children”.
She was referring to the three lions which killed her father at the Mahala View Lion Lodge, north of Pretoria.
Van Wyk said whatever the reason, she knew her father lived a full life and answered his calling from God to raise lions and teach people more about them. She said she and her sister, Vicky, 42, never felt jealous and a bit overshadowed by Rambo, Nikita and Catharina - the three lions. “No not really; he also loved me and my sister equally if not more.”
Van Wyk said her father was by virtue led to love lions and animals because of his upbringing. “He started interacting with lions from the age of 10. He grew up on the family farm and has known nothing else but caring for animals, especially lions.”
In 1985, Van Biljon together with his family moved to Mahala View Lion Lodge, where, according to Van Wyk, was open land with nothing, which they built from the ground up. Van Biljon got the three lion cubs in 2006. In fact, initially there were four lions, but he ended up selling the one male. The lions were reared on Mahala, a farm in the bushveld-like Leeuwgedacht Conservancy, which also houses other farms and lodges.
“We built that farm from nothing, grew up there. My dad raised the lions. He would sleep with them. He taught educational groups about lions and the relationship between God and these animals for school groups.”
The incident happened when Van Biljon was fixing a broken fence in the enclosure. He was, presumably, sitting with his back facing the three lions when one of them grabbed him by his neck. Following the attack, a number of lions were shot dead by staff members.
Despite the tragic death, animal rights activists have criticised the authorities for shooting the three lions.
“The Lion Man” is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Ewige Lig in Montana on Wednesday.