Man climbs into lion enclosure in Indian zoo and gets brutally mauled to death by two big cats

With four big cats in the compound, the man, said to be around 25 years old, climbed a 20-foot barrier at the zoo before he descended on to the grass and was fatally attacked

By Kunal Dey · Updated On : 07:17 PST, 23 Jan 2019

Tourists at Chhatbir Zoo in Punjab, India, watched in horror as a man was mauled to death after climbing into a lion enclosure at the zoo.
With four big cats in the compound, the unidentified man, said to be around 25 years old, climbed a 20-foot barrier at Chhatbir Zoo before he descended on to the grass and was fatally attacked by two of them, the New York Post reports.
Upon hearing the man's haunting screams, zoo staff rushed to the man's rescue. However, their efforts were in vain as he was taken down by one of the lions.
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
According to staff, Shilpa, a lioness, held the victim by his neck while Yuvraj, a male lion, clamped his massive jaws around the man's head. One of the lions is seen in recent footage dragging the victim around like a rag doll within the enclosure.
Tourists tried to help the zoo staff in luring the animals away by honking their car horns. However, their combined efforts proved futile.
Punjab Wildlife Chief Dr. Kuldeep Kumar said, "The man climbed the [20-foot high] boundary wall right adjacent to the Ghaggar River. Our patrolling team saw him at the top. They tried to engage him in talk and make him come down. However, he jumped inside."
According to him, Shilpa and Yuvraj were released from their cages so that tourists could have a better experience with the beasts in a more natural environment. "Lionesses have a very curious nature and Shilpa saw something falling from a great height inside their territory. [Shilpa] rushed to take look and found her prey. She instantly attacked the man, caught hold of his neck and then dragged him along," Kumar said.

A female Asiatic lioness at Gir Forest, Gujarat, India. (Wikipedia)

Speaking to the Times of India, a zoo official later said, "The rescue team saw lioness Shilpa holding the man from the neck, while the lion Yuvraj, had got him by the head. As soon as the lions left him, our team pulled the man inside the bus."
The carnivores that attacked him were Asiatic lions, a critically endangered species known for their deadly ferocity. According to reports, only 500 of them are left in the wild, with most of them protected in the Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat.
While the victim's family is yet to be reached, the zoo has already stepped up caution inside the premises. Visitors are advised to always travel with a trained escort and adhere to instructions.
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