After scaling a six-meter wall and safety fencing and slithering down a tree into the enclosure, a Brazilian teenager was mauled by a lioness in front of zoo visitors, according to authorities.
A young man, identified by Brazilian media as a 19-year-old Gerson de Melo Machado, “deliberately invaded the lioness’s enclosure” at the Arruda Camara Zoobotanical Park, according to the municipal government of the coastal city of Joao Pessoa. The government said in a statement that “he climbed a wall over six meters high, scaled the security bars, accessed one of the trees, and entered the enclosure rapidly and surprisingly.”
Videos of the attack went viral, showing Leona, the lioness, down a tree. When the lioness saw him, she rushed toward the tree and dragged Machado down. The teenager got up once more before vanishing from view, and the bushes trembled.
The zoo stated, “We reiterate that the park follows strict technical standards and safety protocols, and we are fully cooperating with all responsible bodies to clarify the facts.”
The park claimed in a different Instagram post that Leona “shows no aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident” and that “euthanasia was never considered” for her.
“The Bica team, veterinarians, handlers, and technicians are fully dedicated to Leonas’ well-being, ensuring that she recovers, stabilizes emotionally, and resumes her routine safely,” the park.
The lion enclosure has more than eight meters of protection, according to park veterinarian Thiago Nery, who defended safety regulations surrounding it.
Senior Lexi- Bordes-Zayas states, “I think zoos should increase safety measuresafter this unfortunate incident. I think that, even in the means of a suicide, getting mauled by a zoo animal shouldn’t be a cause of death for any citizen.”
“This incident was completely unforeseeable, outside any scenario within the park’s routine,” he stated. According to a government statement, preliminary investigators revealed that “the man’s actions may have been a possible suicide attempt.”
In an Instagram video, child protection counselor Veronica Oliveira claimed to have spent eight years with Machado while he “went through all the institutional care in this city.”
State psychiatrists claimed he only had a behavioral problem, despite her claim that his mother and grandparents had schizophrenia. “He should have been in treatment,” she stated.
According to Oliveira in other media interviews, Machado once broke through an airport fence and hid in the landing gear of a plane he believed was headed to Africa because he had a dream of becoming a lion tamer.
“Society, without knowing your story, preferred to throw you into the lion’s den,” She stated. Although fatal lion attacks at zoos are very uncommon, this is the second one in less than three months.
A Thai zookeeper was killed by lions in September after getting out of his car at a safari park.
In October of last year, a group of lions in Crimea killed a zookeeper by mauling him because a door in their enclosure was left open.
During a routine cleaning at a conservatory in North Carolina in 2018, a lion broke free from its enclosure and killed a recent college graduate.
Authorities were informed that a big ball stopped the lion’s pen from closing, allowing it to enter the civilian area, giving it the ability to attack as 22-year-old Alex Black.
When asked if this changes how people view zoos, senior Amina Ihmud responded by saying, “I believe that this incident does change how people view zoos. It can make people believe that zoos aren’t as safe as they say to be, and can cause people to be more aware of their surroundings during an outing at a zoo.”