The lions were apparently just playing with him Police and firefighters used hoses to ward off the lions but it took around 30 minutes to rescue the 45-year-old who was covered in scratches and bite marks. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries but they are not thought to be life-threatening. The entire incident happened in front of horrified tourists.

The man is stretchered away He has been named locally as Justo Jose MP and has a reputation for demonstrating around the city covered in Swastikas. He was arrested in November at an anti-abortion protest. Quite what he hoped to achieve in a lion enclosure remains unclear. Ignasi Armengol, director of Barcelona Municipal Services said: "The intention was not to kill him, they were just trying to play with him."