A suicidal man jumped into a lions den hoping to get killed but the dramatic turn of events saw two lions dead while the man survived the attack.
Franco Luis Ferrada, who had a suicide note inside his pocket, jumped into the den in a zoo located in the Chilean capital of Santiago.
The lions descended on him and attacked him and a zoo staff who saw the way the cats attacked the man, shot and killed them.
According to reports, Ferrada, climbed up on the roof of the lion’s den and forced his way inside the cage.
He subsequently stripped himself totally naked after gaining access into the cage in his desperate bid to allow the lions attack and kill him.
At first, the animals were said to have ignored him until he started to taunt them and they swung into action on Saturday, May 21, 2016.
The crowd around the lion’s closure watched aghast as the zoo staff, in order to save the man, first turned on the hose on the animals and then fired tranquilizer shots.
However, the shots missed the lions and hit Ferrada on the neck instead, making him an easy prey.
As the lions gained upon the man, the staff was compelled to open fire with live rounds and kill the big cats.
The crowd watched, horrified, as the lions slowly succumbed to the shots. Ferrada, on the other hand, was rushed in critical condition to a nearby local health clinic with injuries to his pelvis and head, as well as a massive dose of tranquiliser.
The zoo director, Alejandra Montalva, while defending her staff said: “The alarms sounded and chemical control arrived [tranquiliser darts] and an independent shooter arrived. The shooter decided to save the life of the person and unfortunately we had to sacrifice two members of our family.”
Following the news, people gathered at the zoo in the night of the fateful day for a candlelight vigil in honour of the deceased lions.
Ferrada was taken to a hospital where doctors are currently attending to him, although they admitted that his condition was critical, but hope he would come out fine.
Watch the video below:
