38. Zookeeper mauled to death by an escaped lion

Even experienced staff sometimes fall victim to neglect. A 65-year-old cleaner was mauled to his death by a lion when he went into its enclosure for some cleaning tasks. Unfortunately, the gate that should have kept him safe from the animal was left wide-open. The lion had its chance. The animal quickly attacked the old man and bit him in the shoulder and neck with its powerful jaws. The old man died of his wounds immediately.

Before zookeepers could respond, the animal managed to escape but was tracked down by the zoo keepers. When they had it cornered they had to make a difficult, but very necessary decision. They decided that the animal had to be taken down. This took place at the Taian Tiger Mountain Park in China.