Man tries to commit suicide by jumping into lions' den

intern

May 22, 2016 3:51 PM

Two lions had to be shot dead shot dead after attacking a man who jumped into a lion enclosure and stripped naked at a zoo in Chile.

The 20-year-old was severely mauled after last week entering the cage in an attempt to commit suicide. The man, whose name was later found to be Luis Ferrada Roman, was left in a very critical condition and had to be quickly driven to a nearby hospital in Santiago.

According to reports, 20-year-old jumped into the cage and the lions refused to attack it at first, with some onlookers even suggesting that the lions were actually playing with him.

However, things got ugly not too long afterwards as the lions attacked him viciously, leaving a zoo keeper with no option but to shoot the two lions in order to save the man’s life.

Metropolitan Park director, Mauricio Fabry, later confirmed that something believed to be a suicide note, was found in his clothing.

Speaking with British outfit, Mail Online, the director of the zoo, Alejandra Montalva, said: "We believe that this person entered as a visitor and paid for his ticket.

"Later he trespassed into an area where the public are not normally allowed and we understand that he forced the roof of the lion’s enclosure.

"It was from there that he jumped, took off his clothes and started to attract the lions."

Montalva said the zoo has been left ‘deeply affected’ by the deaths of the lion and the lioness.

An eye-witness told Chilean radio station Bio Bio the animals did not initially attack the man and that if zoo officials had been quicker, they could have saved the man from the attack.

She said: "He entered the enclosure from above and the lions started to play with him, and then after they attacked him."

Several reports in Chile confirm that Ferrada Roman is now in a stable condition.

intern