Woman tells of how she tried to fight off lion with her fists after it attacked her husband

Bernd Kebbel lost his life after the lion grabbed him by the neck.
A heroic wife who tried to fight off a starving lioness that was attacking her husband has opened up about her terrifying ordeal.
Philanthropist Bernd Kebbel, 59, who made large donations towards saving the desert lions of Namibia, was attacked and killed by one while camping in their territory.
Businessman killed by lion in Namibia
Father-of-two, Kebbel had climbed down a ladder from his tent, which was mounted on top of his 4×4, to go to the toilet in the early hours of 30 May. It was at this moment that he was grabbed by the predator.
Bernd Kebbel was attacked by the lion after climbing down the ladder from his tent. Picture: Supplied
The lioness called Charlie — the star of the award-winning documentary Lions of the Skeleton Coast, released last year at the Cannes Film Festival — was lying in wait for him.
The 12-year-old lioness was on her last legs, skeletal and starving, according to photos taken just weeks before, which showed she had not killed to feed for a long time.
Her natural fear of human beings was overcome by hunger, and she crept into the camp, which wealthy businessman Kebbel, and wife Conny and friends had pitched earlier.
ALSO READ: Male lion captured after roaming Mbombela for days
Conny became aware of the attack when she heard the roar of the lion and the cries of her husband as the lion pounced and grabbed him by the neck.
Close friend of the couple and wildlife photographer Dirk Heinrich, who has snapped Charlie many times, told Conny's shocking story in her own words on his Facebook page.
He spoke after game rangers followed the lion's tracks and were forced to shoot it dead. The animal had also attacked other campers nearby.
Bernd Kebbel and his wife Conny. Picture: Supplied
The brave widow said neither she nor Bernd would have wanted the lion shot, despite the fact that she had to fight it as it killed her husband.
'We are not angry. We have found peace. We did not want Charlie to die. It happened at a place we and Bernd loved,' said Conny, with both her children by her side.
ALSO READ: Lion euthanisation in Mpakeni sparks controversy
'We parked the vehicles in a U-formation with a view of some mustard bushes on the open side because it was windy. After dinner, everybody went to sleep in the roof tents.
'At around 1.30am Bernd said he will go down because he needed to go to the toilet. He opened the zip of the roof tent, and as he climbed down the ladder, I heard a sound.
'It was as if he was surprised, and then a lion growling. I looked out of the tent and saw a lioness had grabbed Bernd by his head,' she said.
Wife hit lion's face to try save her husband
Conny rushed down and screamed at the lioness, and started hitting the big cat on the face. She also tried to pull on the satellite collar around the lion's neck to get it away from her husband.
'She screamed for help, and one of the men came and hit the predator on the head with a small torch, and eventually the lion did let go and disappeared behind the bushes,' added Heinrich.
'Conny and the others immediately realised that all help for Bernd came too late. The lioness then continued to mock-charge the group, coming in from different directions.'
'Everybody fled into the cars because Charlie was posing a threat to us all,' said Conny.
Conny hailed for her bravery
A lion expert, who has known Bernd and Conny for more than 10 years, hailed her amazing bravery in taking on the lion alone and unarmed.
The tour guide who leads expeditions in the Namibian deserts said: 'Conny has become part of folklore; who in their right mind takes on a lioness and lives?
'It is all anyone is talking about around the bushfires at night.
'She was said to have been screaming at it like a dervish, and grabbed its leather collar and was physically hauling this thing more than twice her weight off Bernd.
'Her screams carried to the two other tents, and another man bravely joined her in taking on the lioness armed only with a torch and battered it over the head.
'The lioness was shocked at being attacked and retreated, but not far, and tried to get back to her 'kill' a number of times, but was driven back each time it came.
'The only thing they could do was get Bernd aboard a vehicle and away from there.'
ALSO READ: Escapee lion disappears off face of the earth
They then took two of the three vehicles and drove to the nearby Hoanib Skeleton Coast Lodge, where they asked the staff to contact the police at the nearest town, Sesfontein.
They and nature conservation officials arrived at 7.30am and were joined by renowned lion expert Dr Philip 'Flip' Stander, who had narrated the award-winning film about Charlie.
Stander said he was in the area ironically to find Charlie himself as her satellite collar had stopped working and needed replacing, when he heard his close friend Bernd was dead.
Another group attacked by same lion
He accompanied officials and police to the site where the lion had attacked and saw that she had returned and had chewed up clothing and equipment left behind.
The following night, Charlie attacked another group nearby. They posted a video on social media of the damage it caused to their tents as it tried to slash and bite its way inside.
They also got video of the lion up on the hillside looking down at them, just a few hours before the game rangers caught up with her and shot her dead.
Lion was famous for her survival skills
Charlie was part of the three 'famous' orphan cub sisters of the Skeleton Coast who starred in an award-winning documentary on their incredible survival.
Alpha, Bravo and Charlie were born in 2014 then lost their mother to a leopard attack in 2015 at 10 months old. The young lions were given no hope of survival.
Stander, out of professional curiosity, studied them and was amazed at how they taught themselves to hunt and survive in such a hostile desert.
Charlie moved inland alone and became a unique hunter, able to take down giraffes on her own. She had two sets of cubs but lost them all to the savage environment.
This year, with plentiful desert rains, her prey became stronger and moved away from waterholes and near-empty riverbeds, making hunting difficult.
She struggled to catch wildlife and became progressively weaker.
An extremely emaciated photo of starving Charlie was posted on Facebook weeks before she attacked Bernd showing her as 'skin and bone' and her collar hanging off her.
The lion that attacked Bernd Kebbel in Namibia was skeletal and appeared to be starving. Picture: Richard De Gouveia
Then, on 30 May, she attacked and killed Bernd, who had ironically devoted much of his life and money to protect the Namibian desert lions.
Charlie was one of only 80 or so desert lions left in the remote 20 000 square kilometre regions of north-west Namibia.
Namibia has about 800 desert lions left, with half in the National Park at Etosha and the rest scattered across one of the world's most inhospitable areas.
Officials of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism shot Charlie dead on mid-morning on Sunday, 1 June, as she took a break under a bush from the relentless sun.
A spokesman said: 'The animal had become habituated and used to humans and was posing an ongoing threat to community members and tourists, so a difficult decision was made.'
German-born Bernd made his life in Namibia and became a wealthy businessman through his company Off-Road-Centre, in the capital of Windhoek, selling safari vehicles.
He also sold accessories for travelling in the wild and supported the Desert Lion Project with donations and fitting out their research vehicles.
He leaves his wife Conny and a son and daughter, Dieter and Heidi, both in their twenties.
NOW READ: Women arrested for allegedly trying to sell lion cubs in Boksburg

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The Citizen

11-06-2025

• The Citizen

Woman tells of how she tried to fight off lion with her fists after it attacked her husband

Bernd Kebbel lost his life after the lion grabbed him by the neck. A heroic wife who tried to fight off a starving lioness that was attacking her husband has opened up about her terrifying ordeal. Philanthropist Bernd Kebbel, 59, who made large donations towards saving the desert lions of Namibia, was attacked and killed by one while camping in their territory. Businessman killed by lion in Namibia Father-of-two, Kebbel had climbed down a ladder from his tent, which was mounted on top of his 4×4, to go to the toilet in the early hours of 30 May. It was at this moment that he was grabbed by the predator. Bernd Kebbel was attacked by the lion after climbing down the ladder from his tent. Picture: Supplied The lioness called Charlie — the star of the award-winning documentary Lions of the Skeleton Coast, released last year at the Cannes Film Festival — was lying in wait for him. The 12-year-old lioness was on her last legs, skeletal and starving, according to photos taken just weeks before, which showed she had not killed to feed for a long time. Her natural fear of human beings was overcome by hunger, and she crept into the camp, which wealthy businessman Kebbel, and wife Conny and friends had pitched earlier. ALSO READ: Male lion captured after roaming Mbombela for days Conny became aware of the attack when she heard the roar of the lion and the cries of her husband as the lion pounced and grabbed him by the neck. Close friend of the couple and wildlife photographer Dirk Heinrich, who has snapped Charlie many times, told Conny's shocking story in her own words on his Facebook page. He spoke after game rangers followed the lion's tracks and were forced to shoot it dead. The animal had also attacked other campers nearby. Bernd Kebbel and his wife Conny. Picture: Supplied The brave widow said neither she nor Bernd would have wanted the lion shot, despite the fact that she had to fight it as it killed her husband. 'We are not angry. We have found peace. We did not want Charlie to die. It happened at a place we and Bernd loved,' said Conny, with both her children by her side. ALSO READ: Lion euthanisation in Mpakeni sparks controversy 'We parked the vehicles in a U-formation with a view of some mustard bushes on the open side because it was windy. After dinner, everybody went to sleep in the roof tents. 'At around 1.30am Bernd said he will go down because he needed to go to the toilet. He opened the zip of the roof tent, and as he climbed down the ladder, I heard a sound. 'It was as if he was surprised, and then a lion growling. I looked out of the tent and saw a lioness had grabbed Bernd by his head,' she said. Wife hit lion's face to try save her husband Conny rushed down and screamed at the lioness, and started hitting the big cat on the face. She also tried to pull on the satellite collar around the lion's neck to get it away from her husband. 'She screamed for help, and one of the men came and hit the predator on the head with a small torch, and eventually the lion did let go and disappeared behind the bushes,' added Heinrich. 'Conny and the others immediately realised that all help for Bernd came too late. The lioness then continued to mock-charge the group, coming in from different directions.' 'Everybody fled into the cars because Charlie was posing a threat to us all,' said Conny. Conny hailed for her bravery A lion expert, who has known Bernd and Conny for more than 10 years, hailed her amazing bravery in taking on the lion alone and unarmed. The tour guide who leads expeditions in the Namibian deserts said: 'Conny has become part of folklore; who in their right mind takes on a lioness and lives? 'It is all anyone is talking about around the bushfires at night. 'She was said to have been screaming at it like a dervish, and grabbed its leather collar and was physically hauling this thing more than twice her weight off Bernd. 'Her screams carried to the two other tents, and another man bravely joined her in taking on the lioness armed only with a torch and battered it over the head. 'The lioness was shocked at being attacked and retreated, but not far, and tried to get back to her 'kill' a number of times, but was driven back each time it came. 'The only thing they could do was get Bernd aboard a vehicle and away from there.' ALSO READ: Escapee lion disappears off face of the earth They then took two of the three vehicles and drove to the nearby Hoanib Skeleton Coast Lodge, where they asked the staff to contact the police at the nearest town, Sesfontein. They and nature conservation officials arrived at 7.30am and were joined by renowned lion expert Dr Philip 'Flip' Stander, who had narrated the award-winning film about Charlie. Stander said he was in the area ironically to find Charlie himself as her satellite collar had stopped working and needed replacing, when he heard his close friend Bernd was dead. Another group attacked by same lion He accompanied officials and police to the site where the lion had attacked and saw that she had returned and had chewed up clothing and equipment left behind. The following night, Charlie attacked another group nearby. They posted a video on social media of the damage it caused to their tents as it tried to slash and bite its way inside. They also got video of the lion up on the hillside looking down at them, just a few hours before the game rangers caught up with her and shot her dead. Lion was famous for her survival skills Charlie was part of the three 'famous' orphan cub sisters of the Skeleton Coast who starred in an award-winning documentary on their incredible survival. Alpha, Bravo and Charlie were born in 2014 then lost their mother to a leopard attack in 2015 at 10 months old. The young lions were given no hope of survival. Stander, out of professional curiosity, studied them and was amazed at how they taught themselves to hunt and survive in such a hostile desert. Charlie moved inland alone and became a unique hunter, able to take down giraffes on her own. She had two sets of cubs but lost them all to the savage environment. This year, with plentiful desert rains, her prey became stronger and moved away from waterholes and near-empty riverbeds, making hunting difficult. She struggled to catch wildlife and became progressively weaker. An extremely emaciated photo of starving Charlie was posted on Facebook weeks before she attacked Bernd showing her as 'skin and bone' and her collar hanging off her. The lion that attacked Bernd Kebbel in Namibia was skeletal and appeared to be starving. Picture: Richard De Gouveia Then, on 30 May, she attacked and killed Bernd, who had ironically devoted much of his life and money to protect the Namibian desert lions. Charlie was one of only 80 or so desert lions left in the remote 20 000 square kilometre regions of north-west Namibia. Namibia has about 800 desert lions left, with half in the National Park at Etosha and the rest scattered across one of the world's most inhospitable areas. Officials of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism shot Charlie dead on mid-morning on Sunday, 1 June, as she took a break under a bush from the relentless sun. A spokesman said: 'The animal had become habituated and used to humans and was posing an ongoing threat to community members and tourists, so a difficult decision was made.' German-born Bernd made his life in Namibia and became a wealthy businessman through his company Off-Road-Centre, in the capital of Windhoek, selling safari vehicles. He also sold accessories for travelling in the wild and supported the Desert Lion Project with donations and fitting out their research vehicles. He leaves his wife Conny and a son and daughter, Dieter and Heidi, both in their twenties. NOW READ: Women arrested for allegedly trying to sell lion cubs in Boksburg

The South African

06-06-2025

• The South African

Lioness shot dead after fatal attack on German businessman in Namibia

A lioness known to conservationists as 'Charlie' has been euthanised by Namibian wildlife authorities after she fatally attacked a camper in the remote Hoanib River region – a decision that has sparked a wave of criticism and sadness among wildlife advocates. The lioness mauled 59-year-old Bernd Kebbel, a German-born businessman and avid supporter of lion research, after he left his rooftop tent early one morning to use the bathroom. Though other campers rushed to his aid, the attack proved fatal. Authorities confirmed that the lioness was tracked and put down shortly after the incident. A petition to save Charlie quickly gained traction, but officials said she posed an ongoing danger to people in the area and had to be euthanised to prevent further attacks. 'The loss of human life is always tragic, but so too is the killing of a wild animal that was simply following its instincts,' said one conservationist who wished to remain anonymous. 'There needs to be a bigger conversation about how we coexist with predators in their natural habitat.' The Namibian Chamber of Environment acknowledged the 'double tragedy' in a public statement. 'This is a devastating incident for both the individual and the lion. Lions in the area are under stress due to a lack of prey, which increases the chances of human-wildlife conflict.' Charlie was well known in conservation circles and had previously been tracked and studied as part of regional lion monitoring efforts. Her killing has reignited debate about whether humans should be camping in high-risk wilderness zones without adequate safety measures. Wildlife officials defended the move, saying that once a lion has attacked a human, it cannot be allowed to remain in areas frequented by tourists and locals. But some environmentalists argue that human activity – not lion behaviour – is at the root of such incidents. 'This lioness paid the ultimate price for our encroachment into their territory,' said a spokesperson from a local conservation NGO. Calls are now growing for better education around safe camping practices in predator zones and stricter rules on wild camping in sensitive areas. Meanwhile, the death of Charlie the lioness has become a rallying cry for those demanding more humane approaches to managing wildlife conflict. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

The South African

03-06-2025

• The South African

Namibian businessman killed by Lion [video]

A remote and normally tranquil corner of northwestern Namibia has become the focus of a tragic wildlife attack after a well-known German businessman and conservation advocate, Bernd Kebbel, was mauled to death by a lion during a luxury safari. he incident occurred at the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, located in the Sesfontein Conservancy, an area famed for its rugged beauty and the rare desert-adapted lions that roam freely across the arid landscape. According to authorities, the 59-year-old Kebbel was killed in the early hours of the morning after stepping outside his tent. Read the full version of the ' RIP | Well-known businessmen mauled to death by a lion in Namibia' article. Kebbel had been on safari with his wife and friends, enjoying a peaceful evening under the stars. According to a statement from Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Kebbel exited his tent around dawn, unaware that a lion had ventured close to the campsite. The lion pounced without warning. Looking for quick updates? Watch News in a Minute videos on The South African's YouTube page for all the key stories you need to know! Catch all the latest videos on news, lifestyle, travel, sports and more – there's always something to watch! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky to stay connected and get your news on the go!