An intoxicated man reportedly freed lions from their enclosures at a zoo reserved for former circus animals, leading to an attack by the animals. The man scaled a fence and released six lions before seeking refuge in one of their cages as the animals turned on him. Tragically, a dog present at the scene was also killed by the lions. The man even filmed the lions roaring and prowling near the cage where he was hiding.
Keepers eventually intervened and raised the alarm, prompting a rescue operation for the man in his forties who was dressed in torn clothing. The man sustained severe injuries to his arms and face and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The lions were safely returned to their enclosures at the Los Pinos Reserve in San Pedro Cholula, Mexico, where the incident occurred on Monday.
In a video clip from the event released on a Mexican news outlet’s YouTube channel, shaky footage showed the lions through the bars of the cage. The man appeared to have created a makeshift barrier using a gate to protect himself from the lions.
A photo from the hospital depicted the man with extensive injuries to his face, which was bandaged and visibly swollen. This incident adds to a recent string of lion attacks, including a 10-year-old girl who was grabbed by a lion in China in February while feeding it at a zoo. The girl was pulled forward by the lion, prompting a quick response from a zookeeper who managed to free her using a metal rod after a brief struggle.
The zookeeper involved has been suspended and reassigned following the incident.
