A man has died after he tried to recapture three lions that had escaped into a courtyard at a zoo. The keeper filmed himself as the predators attacked him and partially ate his body.
The man, named as F Iriskulov, is said to have filmed the incident in an effort to ‘impress his girlfriend.’ The 44-year-old unlocked a padlock to the area at Lion Park in Parkent, Uzbekista, at 5am during his night shift on December 17.
Three male lions can be seen in the clip with the animals standing up when the keepers enters their space. He is heard repeatedly calling the name of one of the lions and says: “Simba, be quiet.”
It is understood the lions had escaped their enclosure with a door left unlocked and had made their way into a courtyard where the zookeeper tried to recapture them and the tragedy happened. He made the video to give later to his girlfriend but about two minutes after unlocking the door to the courtyard the lions attacked, The Mirror reports.
The man is heard screaming as he is apparently being bitten while his camera is still running. He continues to say: “Be quiet, be quiet.”
The man’s remains were only found by other zooworkers four hours after the attack, it is reported. Rescuers tranquilised two of the lions, and shot the third dead. An official statement said: “The lions killed him and partially consumed his body.”
The regional police added: “[On] December 17, three lions kept in a single cage at the Lion Park private zoo, located in the Parkent district of Tashkent Region, escaped into the zoo’s courtyard. […] The lions entered the yard, attacking and injuring a 44-year-old keeper born in 1980. Unfortunately, the keeper later died from his injuries.”