The transition from joy to terror can be swift, especially when it involves tourists and wild animals. A recent incident saw a zookeeper mauled to death by lions while attempting to film himself to “impress his girlfriend”.
The 44-year-old man, identified as F Iriskulov, was trying to corral three escaped lions in a courtyard at the Lion Park in Parkent, Uzbekistan. His camera continued to record as his screams echoed during the horrific event.
He was later declared dead, two of the lions were tranquilised, and the third was shot dead. In light of this tragedy, we examine other fatal animal attacks caught on camera.
A Chinese woman who was eaten alive by a tiger
(Image: Supplied)
One such incident involved a man with a self-proclaimed “obsession for tigers” who met a grisly end. Maqsood Khan, 22, climbed into the white tiger’s moat at New Delhi Zoo in 2014, only to be confronted by Vijay, a seven year old endangered tiger.
The ensuing horror was captured on camera by onlookers as Vijay observed the intruder for 15 minutes before things took a turn for the worse. Despite the crowd’s attempts to distract the tiger by shouting and throwing stones, the animal grabbed Maqsood by the neck and dragged him back to its enclosure, sealing his fate, reports the Mirror.
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A witness described rushing towards the scene upon hearing screams, only to find Maqsood in the grip of the tiger’s jaws, “writhing badly in pain”.
Grizzy Man was a film about Timothy Treadwell
(Image: Lionsgate)
Authorities spent two hours and exerted considerable effort to coax the tiger into a smaller cage within the enclosure, enabling them to recover Maqsood’s mutilated remains after the fatal incident. The government later attributed the blame to Maqsood himself, stating that he had ignored warnings and ended up in a zoo enclosure with a tiger due to his “misadventure” stemming from his “obsession for tigers”.
In a separate horrific event at a safari park, a Chinese woman was eaten alive by a tiger while her family watched on in horror. The tragedy unfolded in 2016 when she exited her vehicle at the safari park to rescue her daughter.
Mrs Zhao courageously faced the Siberian tiger at Badaling Wildlife Park in Beijing as it seized her daughter, Mei, in its jaws and dragged her away. Despite Mrs Zhao’s valiant attempts, she was savagely killed by another tiger.
Mei sustained severe, life-changing injuries during the attack and faced criticism for breaking park rules by leaving the car, endangering herself and her relatives. The terrifying ordeal, caught on CCTV, began when Mei got out of the car during a family dispute, only to be pounced on by a tiger that quickly dragged her away.
An Indian schoolboy is confronted by a white tiger inside its enclosure at the Delhi Zoo
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Her husband and mother immediately rushed out to assist, as did park staff in a vehicle, but they were too late to save Mrs Zhao, who was attacked by a second tiger.
Following a temporary closure due to an investigation, the wildlife park is set to reopen since no negligence was determined in its operations, even after the family involved pursued legal action against the facility. In a chilling case outside of zoo walls, Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard experienced terrifying final moments that were inadvertently recorded by audio.
Known as the ‘Grizzly Man’, Timothy had spent 13 summers camping among wild brown bears in Alaska when he met his grim fate in October 2003. His last sounds, captured on his video camera, include his shouts: “Get out here! I’m getting killed out here! ” Amie can be heard advising him to “play dead” as she emerged from her tent to assist, echoing into silence with just their screams before the footage ends.
Tragically, both fell victim to the bear, with Timothy’s severed head discovered near the site. Authorities later euthanised the bear and found remnants of the pair in its stomach.
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