Teen with dreams of lion taming mauled to death after climbing into enclosure at zoo

A 19-year-old antheral was mauled to decease aft climbing into a lion enclosure Sunday greeting successful Brazil.

Viral video captured the incident, showing the unfortunate scaling a astir 26-foot-tall obstruction to participate the lioness’s enclosure astatine Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, known locally arsenic Bica, successful João Pessoa, Paraíba.

Local media Correio Braziliense identified the unfortunate arsenic Gerson de Melo Machado who has agelong aspired to beryllium a lion tamer. Machado reportedly had intelligence wellness issues and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The zoo confirmed successful a connection that the idiosyncratic deliberately entered the enclosure, was attacked by the animal, and did not past his injuries.

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An lioness stands connected a level astatine a zoo enclosure connected Aug. 19, 2024. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu)

"The Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica) profoundly regrets what happened this Sunday morning, erstwhile a antheral deliberately invaded the lioness's enclosure, resulting successful his death," the zoo said successful a connection connected societal media Sunday. "This is an highly bittersweet occurrence for everyone, and we explicit our solidarity and condolences to the household and friends of the man."

In the video, witnesses watched successful fearfulness arsenic the teen climbed the towering obstruction and shimmied down a adjacent tree. A lion successful the enclosure spotted him, prowled to the basal of the histrion and waited arsenic helium continued his descent.

When the lad got adjacent capable to the ground, the lion sprang connected him. He tried to flee, disappearing into the bushes and concisely reappearing during his escape, lone to beryllium leapt connected again by the lioness. The mauling past continued retired of presumption down a wall.

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Zoo patrons look done a model astatine a lion enclosure connected Feb. 21, 2008. (Justin Sullivan)

Following the incident, the parkland was closed to let for information procedures and the removal of the body. The zoo stated that Bica volition stay closed to visitors until the probe and each authoritative procedures are complete.

Machado had struggled with intelligence wellness issues passim his life, and his parent had besides been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to Correio, which cited kid payment counsellor Verônica Oliveira, who had been monitoring him since childhood. Oliveira told the outlet that Machado had ever dreamed of traveling to Africa to go a lion tamer and was erstwhile caught hiding successful the landing cogwheel of a plane, believing it would instrumentality him there.

The zoo stated it does not program to euthanize the lion, emphasizing that the sidesplitting resulted from deliberate trespassing, an incidental that was "completely unpredictable" and "outside of immoderate script wrong the park’s routine."

Visitors presumption 2 lions done a model successful their enclosure connected July 22, 2025. (Justin Sullivan)

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The lion is reportedly stressed but shows nary signs of behaviour that would warrant interest for euthanasia.

"It is important to stress that euthanasia was ne'er considered," the zoo said. "Leona is healthy, does not grounds assertive behaviour extracurricular the discourse of the incident, and volition not beryllium euthanized."