A 19-year-old youth in Brazil was mauled to death by a lioness after he climbed into the animal’s enclosure at Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park in João Pessoa, Brazil.
On Sunday (30 Nov), Gerson de Melo Machado scaled a six metre wall after evading the zoo’s security team.
A video on X capturing the stunt shows him walking along the top of the wall.
He then used a tall tree to slide down into the enclosure.
His antics caught the attention of the lioness, named Leona, who was initially standing near the glass display.
She approached Gerson as soon as she noticed him.
As he slowly slid down the trunk, Leona grabbed his leg and dragged him to the bush.
The clip of the incident showed Gerson’s attempts to fight back.
However, he subsequently died from injuries to his neck.
Local reports state that the victim had a history of mental disorders and intellectual disability.
For a part of his life, Gerson was monitored by child protection services as his mother suffered from schizophrenia and lost custody of her children.
In his later teens, the deceased would have run-ins with the police.
Source: Brasil Paralelo
Gerson once expressed a desire to go to Africa to care for lions.
In an attempt to achieve this dream, he tried to hide in the landing gear of an airplane, which was captured by security cameras at the airport.
Following the incident, a technical team at the zoo is monitoring Leona, who is not expected to be euthanised.
The zoo added that Gerson’s death was an “absolutely unpredictable incident”.
“All competent agencies are working together to ensure transparency, safety, and the necessary procedures in the coming days.”
The attraction was temporarily closed as investigations continued.
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Featured image adapted from @CPreparado on X.