In a tragic and gruesome incident, a 19-year-old man was killed in Brazil after he climbed inside a lion’s enclosure at Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara in João Pessoa. Videos of the horrifying moment went viral after the zoo goers who witnessed the incident captured it on their mobile phones.
The man, identified as Gerson de Melo Machado, was diagnosed with schizophrenia, reported local media Correio Braziliense. The outlet added that, although the security tried to stop him, Machado acted quickly and climbed a wall to enter the enclosure. Upon entering, he was attacked by a lion and died from the injuries.
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Full statement by the City Hall of João Pessoa:
The municipal government of João Pessoa, the capital of the state of Paraíba, Brazil, issued a statement following the incident. Below is the translated version of the full statement as reported by Correio Braziliense.
"The City Hall of João Pessoa, through the Environment Secretariat (Semam), reports that, on the morning of this Sunday (30), a man deliberately invaded the lion's enclosure in the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica). Quickly and surprisingly, he climbed a wall of more than 6 meters, the security fences, accessed one of the trees and invaded the enclosure. According to the Civil Police investigation, the man acted in a possible act of suicide. Although the security teams tried to prevent the action, the man acted quickly in accessing the enclosure and died as a result of the injuries caused by the animal,” read the statement.
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{{/usCountry}}"The City Hall of João Pessoa, through the Environment Secretariat (Semam), reports that, on the morning of this Sunday (30), a man deliberately invaded the lion's enclosure in the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica). Quickly and surprisingly, he climbed a wall of more than 6 meters, the security fences, accessed one of the trees and invaded the enclosure. According to the Civil Police investigation, the man acted in a possible act of suicide. Although the security teams tried to prevent the action, the man acted quickly in accessing the enclosure and died as a result of the injuries caused by the animal,” read the statement.
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{{/usCountry}}The statement continued, “As soon as the incident was discovered, the park was immediately closed for safety procedures and removal of the body. Semam has already begun investigating the circumstances of the event and is cooperating with the competent authorities. The City Hall expresses its condolences to the victim's family and clarifies that, despite all the existing security measures, which meet technical standards, the man persisted in trespassing, culminating in this regrettable episode.”