Man mauled to death by lion after jumping into zoo’s enclosure to take selfie

 TIRUPATI, India. (Gray News) - A man was mauled to death by a lion after jumping into the enclosure attempting to take a selfie with the big cat at an India zoo Thursday.

Police said 38-year-old Prahalad Gurjar appeared drunk when he snuck into the no-entry area at the S.V. Zoological Park in Tirupati around 2:30 pm, according to India Times.

On that day, a lion named Dungarpu was on display.

Despite being warned, Gurjar decided to climb over the enclosure’s four-foot wall and six-foot metal fence and jump inside. While two lions are caged throughout the day, one lion is released in the enclosure daily for display.

“Though our animal keeper noticed and cautioned Gujjar from entering the restricted area, he scaled the six-foot-high fence and jumped into the lions’ enclosure,” said Tirupati Zoo curator C Selvam. “We have taken utmost precaution to prevent such incidents. We will once again review the security measures to prevent such incidents in the future.”

Selvam said the zoo staff tried to rescue him but were not successful.

India Times reported that the lion dragged the man to a corner and mauled him to death within 10 minutes of entering the lion’s area, dying from excessive bleeding caused by his wounds.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Times reporter Sudhakar Udumula shared footage and images of the lion and the aftermath of the scene. However, following the attack, the lion was locked in the nighthouse.

The man’s relatives have been informed of his death and his body has been taken to the SVRR Government General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

According to the zoo curator, this is the first time that an incident like this has been reported.