A TOURIST on a horse-riding safari was dragged off the animal’s back by a lion in a horrifying near-death attack.
Naemi Boy, 21, was near Tzaneen, South Africa with a group of fellow travellers when the young male suddenly sprang out and bit her on the neck.
Naemi, 21, was on a horse in South Africa when she was bitten by a lionCredit: newsX/NF
She was rushed to hospital with huge gashes in her neckCredit: newsX/NF
Naemi had been assigned to ride at the back of the group as a safety measure, a position usually taken by a staff member.
Unknown to the group, however, a lion was lying in the undergrowth.
As Naemi passed, the beast leapt from his hiding position and plunged his teeth deep into her neck.
What happened immediately afterwards is unclear, but reportedly let go of her and disappeared into the savannah.
Her colleagues rushed to her aid and took her to hospital in Tzaneen.
Naemi later told local media: “The bite went down to the vertebrae. Two vertebrae broke, and the spinal cord was damaged.”
She also broke her hand when she fell from the horse.
She later suffered a stroke in hospital followed by an infection which developed in the bite wound.
After several weeks of treatment, she was stable enough to be flown home to Sweden on Friday, where she is now being treated in Malmo.
Naemi said: “I must have had a guardian angel. I’m numb on the left side after the stroke, but I can move everything. The doctors say I will make a full recovery. Who can say that after a lion attack?”
She continues to wear a neck brace and faces the possibility of surgery, though doctors believe she may recover without an operation.
Naemi said she recognised the lion that attacked her, describing it as around two years old and previously seen several times near the safari area.
She believes at her out of curiosity.
Naemi said she remembers mounting the horse before waking up in hospital and thinks the trauma caused her memory to block the rest.
She avoids thinking about what could have happened because it keeps her awake at night.
Despite the attack, Naemi said she plans to return to South Africa once she has recovered fully.
She said: “I had such a good time there. I definitely want to go on another horseback safari. But I’ll never ride last again.”
The attack, which occurred in early October, comes as by a pride of lions in Thailand.
The gruesome attack happened at Safari World Bangkok when 58-year-old Jian Rangkharasamee stepped out of his jeep in the lion enclosure.
Witnesses said a lion crept up from behind before pouncing on him – with several others quickly joining in.
Visitors honked their car horns and shouted in a desperate attempt to scare off the beasts, but the big cats mauled Rangkharasamee to death as families looked on in horror.
Professor Tavatchai Kanchanarin, a doctor at a leading hospital, saw the tragedy unfold at around 11am on Wednesday.
He said: ”The lion attacked the zookeeper while he was getting out of his car.
Picture shows the neck injuriesCredit: newsX/NF
Naemi has to wear a neck brace following the traumatic incidentCredit: newsX/NF 
