Naked Man Attempts Suicide By Jumping Into Zoo Lion Enclosure, Two Lions Killed As They Maul Him
A 20-year-old man attempted to commit “suicide by lion” by jumping into a lion enclosure at the Santiago Zoo. The man reportedly stripped off all of his clothes before jumping in with the lions. He was then mauled by two of the lions which zookeepers shot in a bid to save the man. The man is now listed in grave condition at a nearby hospital.
The Daily Mail reports that a 20-year-old man, Franco Luis Ferrada Roman, attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a lion enclosure at the Santiago Zoo in Chile. The man reportedly stripped naked before jumping over the barrier into the enclosure. Two lions began mauling the man and were put down by zookeepers attempting to save the suicidal zoo patron.
Man tries to commit suicide by lion but fails when they shoot two of the lions to save him https://t.co/r9oakoMMlp
— Robert Ford (@MrRobertFord) May 22, 2016
The man was removed from the lion enclosure after being mauled by the two lions. Other zoo patrons say they were horrified by what they witnessed and that they watched as zookeepers shot the two lions as they mauled the man. The witnesses to the scene claim that the man first stripped of his clothing before jumping into the enclosure.
He then “attracted the lions” to him and they began to “play” with him. However, as the incident continued the lions began mauling the man and were subsequently shot. Video taken from the scene, which are highly disturbing, shows the naked man latching his arms and legs around a large male lion inside of the enclosure. As he agitates the lions they eventual begin to maul him.
Warning: The video below may be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised.
Those at the zoo say the area was crowded at the time of the lion mauling and that zoo officials were forced to fire shots at the lions in a bid to remove the man safely from the lion enclosure. However, the two lions died at the scene as zookeepers were forced to stop the mauling and save the man’s life. The zoo says they have established protocols for incidents like this, but the man trespassed into an area not open to visitors in a bid to get closer to the lions.
“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.”
The Santiago Zoo says that all of the zoo staff have been “deeply affected” by the deaths of the two lions and that they are working with authorities. The lions killed in the suicide attempt were a male and female that the zoo was incredibly hurt to see pass away in such a tragic incident. The zoo staff says they had no other choice but to kill the lions as they do not have tranquilizers that could act fast enough to save the suicidal man.
Other patrons at the zoo say that the man was screaming “religious things” as he entered the area with the lions. They claim that he was saying things about Jesus and acting erratically. Authorities reveal that the man had a suicide note in his clothing but did not reveal the contents of the note.
Suicide by LION Man strips naked and jumps into a Chilean zoo https://t.co/AOMkvaZedH pic.twitter.com/tP0aZpaoDT
— MichaelLoBurgio (@MikeLoBurgio) May 22, 2016
While the man is still in critical condition, the hospital says that he is expected to live. There is no word on whether the man will face charges for entering the restricted area and ultimately causing the death of the Santiago Zoo’s lions. Do you think the man should face charges for forcing zookeepers to put down the lions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Image via Shutterstock]
