In a shocking news, a South African conservationist was killed by lions he had hand-reared. 69 year old West Mathewson was walking with two white lionesses on Wednesday and one of them attacked him brutally and killed him without any warning.

This incident happened at the premises of West Mathewson's family owned Lion Tree Top Lodge located in South Africa's northern Limpopo province. Fondly called as "Uncle West", West Mathewson had raised the lions since they were cubs and had been very friendly with them.

Mathewson's wife Gill, 65, was driving behind him when the attack took place and despite her best efforts to rescue her husband, she could not save him, declared a statement by the family attorney Marina Botha. The lions have been temporarily moved to a facility.