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Man enters the cage of lions at Santiago Zoo (Picture: Daily Mail)

Lions were shot dead after a man stripped naked and jumped into a lion enclosure at a zoo in Chile.

The 20-year-old was severely mauled after he entered the cage in a suicide attempt as visitors at the Santiago Zoo looked on in horror.

The man was rushed to a nearby hospital in Santiago and was reportedly in grave condition.


Named as Franco Luis Ferrada Roman by local media, the young man jumped into the cage and the lions began to ‘play’ with him.

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A zoo keeper intervened and shot the two lions to save the man’s life.



Metropolitan Park director, Mauricio Fabry, later confirmed that a note, which is believed to be a suicide note, was found in his clothing.

The director of the zoo, Alejandra Montalva, told Mail Online: ‘We believe that this person entered as a visitor and paid for his ticket.

‘Later he trespassed into an area where the public are not normally allowed and we understand that he forced the roof of the lion’s enclosure.

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The lions begin to ‘play’ with him (Picture: Daily Mail)

‘It was from there that he jumped, took off his clothes and started to attract the lions.’

Montalva said there were no fast acting tranquilizers available and was left ‘deeply affected’ by the deaths of the two lions – a male and female.

An eye-witness told Chilean radio station Bio Bio the animals did not initially attack the man and claimed security personnel were slow to react.

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Zoo keeper had to shoot two lions dead (Picture: Daily Mail)

She said: ‘He entered the enclosure from above and the lions started to play with him, and then after they attacked him.’

A father who took his young son to the park, told TV station Chilevision: ‘Everyone started screaming when they saw him.’

Ferrada Roman is now believed to be in a stable condition, according to Chilean media.