The Legend of Harry Wolhuter and the Lion Slayer Knife

 

In August 1904, Harry Wolhuter, one of the first game rangers in South Africa's Sabi Game Reserve (now Kruger National Park), rode horseback on patrol near the Lindanda Road as night fell.

 

Two male lions ambushed him without warning. One lion leaped onto his horse, killing it instantly and throwing Wolhuter to the ground. The second lion clamped its jaws around his shoulder and dragged him into the thick bush, intent on making him its meal.

 

Severely mauled and losing blood fast, Wolhuter remembered the sheath knife on his belt — a simple but sturdy blade. As the lion carried him deeper into the darkness, he drew it with his free hand and plunged it repeatedly into the beast's chest and neck, striking the heart.

 

The lion roared in agony, released its grip, and collapsed dead. The second lion fled into the night.

Bleeding heavily with deep wounds, Wolhuter climbed a tree for safety, aided by his loyal dog Bull, who had followed the attack. He later crawled back to camp, where colleagues found and saved him.

 

Wolhuter survived to tell the tale in his book Memories of a Game Ranger.

 

The knife and the lion's skin are still on display at Kruger's Skukuza library — a testament to one man's courage against impossible odds.

 

Today, skilled knifemakers like Wicus recreate replicas of this legendary "Lion Slayer" knife, honoring Wolhuter's epic ordeal. A true piece of South African bushveld history!