An intoxicated man was attacked by lions after he released them from their enclosures at a zoo in Mexico. The lions were being kept in a reserve for former circus animals, with the man scaling a fence and unleashing six of the wild cats.
However, as soon as he opened their cages, the lions attacked him, injuring him and forcing him to seek refuge in one of their cages with the incident captured on video. The clip shows the lions roaring and prowling near the cage he was hiding in. A dog present at the scene was also mauled to death by the lions.
Zookeepers eventually rushed to the scene and raised an alarm. The man, believed to be in his 40s, dressed in a torn black sweatshirt and shredded blue jeans, was rescued at the lions were moved back to their enclosures.
The incident occurred at Los Pinos Reserve, San Pedro Cholula, Mexico, on Monday. The individual responsible for releasing the animals was taken to hospital. He reportedly sustained severe injuries to his arms and face. The lions were unharmed.
The shaky footage, seemingly taken by the man, shows the lions through the bars of the cage. As the camera points to the ground, it shows a lifeless animal lying in the grass, with the sound of birds crowing loudly and lions roaring gently in the background.
It appears that the person was protecting themselves behind a gate that had been pulled open to create a triangular space between the gate and the inner fence enclosing the lions.
A photo of the man from the hospital shows what seem to be quite extensive injuries to his face, which has been bandaged and appears swollen and scratched in places.
