Brasilia [Brazil], December 2: A young man mauled to death after climbing into a lion cage has been identified as having serious mental health problems and had dreamed of becoming a lion tamer.
AFP news agency reported on December 2 that a young Brazilian man was mauled to death by a lion in front of many visitors after climbing over a 6-meter high wall and safety fence and sliding down a tree to get into the cage.
Local media identified the victim as Gerson de Melo Machado, 19. Acquaintances said the young man suffered from serious mental health problems and had dreamed of becoming a lion tamer.
The Joao Pessoa city government said Machado "intentionally entered the lioness's enclosure" at the Arruda Camara Biological Zoo (Paraiba state, Brazil ) on the morning of November 30.
Viral videos of the attack show lioness Leona lying next to a glass barrier separating visitors, and many onlookers watched in shock as the teenager climbed down from a tree.
The lioness charged straight at the tree, pulling Machado to the ground. The bushes shook, and the teenager stood up once more before disappearing from sight.
"It got him, it got him!" visitors shouted in panic. Machado "died from injuries inflicted by the animal," a government statement said.
Paraiba state environmental authorities on December 1 inspected the site at the zoo, which remains closed. Park veterinarian Thiago Nery defended the enclosure's safety standards and said the incident was "completely unforeseeable."
The park said it "never considered euthanizing" Leona, who "did not exhibit aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident".
A government statement said Machado's actions may have been "a suicide attempt."
Child protection adviser Veronica Oliveira said in an Instagram video that she had accompanied Machado for eight years as he "went through the entire institutional care system in this city".
Machado's mother and grandparents suffered from schizophrenia, but Machado himself never received the necessary state care, she said.
In other media interviews, Ms. Oliveira said Machado dreamed of becoming a lion tamer and once cut through an airport fence and climbed into the landing gear of a plane he thought was flying to Africa.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
