A 19-year-old met a gruesome death yesterday Sunday in , when he breached the security fence and jumped into a lion pit. The incident happened at the Arruda Camara Zoo in the northeastern Brazilian city of João Pessoa.
In front of horrified visitors, 19-year-old Zerson de Melo Masado climbed the security fence and jumped a tree, slowly descending into the lion pit.
A lioness sensing his movements ran towards him. Before even coming down from the tree, the lioness reared up on her hind legs and grabbed the youngster, dragging him behind bushes, as shown in a video broadcast by Brazilian media.
Veronica Oliveira, a social services official in the city of João Pessoa, says in an Instagram video that the young man had been dealing with mental health issues and had been following him for eight years. According to her, there was a family history of schizophrenia, but the psychiatrists who had examined Zerson only reported “behavioral disorders.” “It was obvious he was dealing with mental health issues. He should have received treatment,” he said.
The zoo will remain closed until authorities complete their investigation into the case. The management issued a statement in which it expresses its sadness over the incident, while clarifying that the lioness will not be euthanized, since she had not shown aggressive behavior before the 19-year-old’s invasion of her space.
OMG 😳😱. A man dıed after breaking into a lioness enclosure at Arruda Câmara Park (Bica) in João Pessoa, Paraíba. He reportedly had m£ntal health issues and entered the restricted area before being f@tally att@cked.💔🙆🏾♂️
— Cleverly 💐 (@Cleverlydey4u)
