'Lion bumper' comes clean: Frank says he 'didn't see' lioness

A video of a driver bumping a lioness between Satara and Olifants camps on 8 August has sparked a massive public outcry.

- Jacqueline Herbst

Lowvelder tracked down the driver, who claims he "didn't see the lioness".

Eberhard Frank, a German national who has lived in South Africa since 1967, told the newspaper due to the height of his vehicle's suspension, he did not see the lioness so close to the bumper.

"I got a fright when I felt the bump," said the Johannesburg resident, who is a frequent visitor to the Kruger National Park.

Frank said he and his wife had already spent a week in the park and were on their way out when they encountered gridlocked traffic on the H1-4.