A lion attacked a man who jumped into its zoo enclosure here Wednesday and shouted, “Jesus will save you!” at the animal, an eyewitness said.

Cable TV stations showed the lion ripping a jacket off the man as he stood in a grassy enclosure that held two of the animals. The second lion did not join in the attack.

Without panicking, the man fell back onto a stone ridge, and the lion then jumped at him, biting him in the arm. It also clawed at his trousers before retreating.

The man then calmly stood with his arms outstretched in front of the two animals.


The witness, Hsu Li-jen, told the station CTI that the man shouted: “Jesus will save you!”

Guards drove the lions away with water hoses, and police shot them with tranquilizer darts. The man, identified only by his surname, Chen, climbed out and was taken to a hospital.

A doctor said Chen, 46, had psychological problems.