A 20-year old man in Santiago, Chile over the weekend attempted to commit suicide by breaking into a lion enclosure and subsequently stripping off all of his clothes at a local zoo. As one would expect, the man’s presence quickly drew the attention of a pride of three lions who shortly thereafter began to play with the man before beginning to outright attack him in front of a group of stunned onlookers.
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Ultimately, zookeepers at Chile’s Santiago Metropolitan Zoo were forced to kill two attacking lions in an effort to save the man. While the zoo staff did have tranquilizer guns handy, a report from Daily Mail (which includes NSFW photos) indicates that they were not of the fast-acting variety and would have done little to nothing to stave off the ongoing attack.
Following the attack, it became immediately apparent that the attack was no accident but was rather the result of purposeful planning, akin to suicide by cop. Specifically, authorities were quick to discover a suicide note amidst the man’s belongings in the wake of the attack.
In a statement on the matter, the Santiago Metropolitan Zoo said: “Due to the circumstances and to firstly protect the life of this person, we found ourselves obliged to apply all of our security protocols.”
The zoo also added that being forced to kill the lions was “profoundly painful for every single one of us.”
As for the man, he was rescued alive but is currently in grave condition after suffering serious injuries to both his head and pelvic area.
And given the social media dominated world we currently live in, photos and video footage of the attack have been circulating online. We won’t post them here, but harrowing images of the ordeal have been making the rounds so be conscious of what you click on if you’re interested in reading more about the story.
