The BBC's Greg Barrow reports on the lion attack

David Pleydell-Bouverie, 19, was reported to have been inside his tent on the Matusadona National Park on Saturday night when the lions arrived outside.

His father - the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire and the son of the late Earl of Radnor - spoke on Monday of the "unbearable and appalling tragedy" of his son's horrific death in a lion attack.

Lions roam freely but there is no recent history of man-eating lions

Details of the death in a remote area of Zimbabwe, are sketchy. But one report says the lions attacked the camp in the middle of the night and dragged Mr Pleydell-Bouverie's body into the bushes

The teenager's body has not yet been recovered.

The lioness apparently responsible for the attack was later shot dead by hunters, who said she had been desperate to find food after breaking her leg.

At the family estate at Kimpton, near Luton, Mr Pleydell-Bouverie said: "We are going through the most unbearable and appalling family tragedy.

"We heard yesterday my son had been killed and have spent an awful night - we don't know the details. This is something that we wish to come to terms with privately."

Mr Pleydell-Bouverie had been working alongside rangers in the national park on the shores of Lake Kariba. The park occupies 338,000 acres of countryside, taking in bush-covered hills and woodlands.

His father said the teenager had been enjoying the experience so much he had recently extended his stay.

The park has one of the highest densities of lion in Africa. It supports elephant, rhino, buffalo and a wide variety of antelope.

Visitors are encouraged to accompany guides on lion treks around the park, where lions roam freely. But there is no recent history of lions attacking humans in the area.

A spokesman for the wildlife police service in the capital, Harare, said: "This particular pride is one that is often seen by tourists in the area and there has been no history of man-eating attacks in the past.

"But the group was led by an old she-lion who was struggling with a broken leg.