A 19-year-old man was mauled to death after climbing into a lion enclosure Sunday morning in Brazil.
Viral video captured the incident, showing the victim scaling a roughly 26-foot-tall fence to enter the lioness’ enclosure at Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, known locally as Bica, in João Pessoa, Paraíba.
Local media mental health issues throughout his life, and his mother had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to Correio, which cited child welfare counselor Verônica Oliveira, who had been monitoring him since childhood. Oliveira told the outlet that Machado had always dreamed of traveling to Africa to become a lion tamer and was once caught hiding in the landing gear of a plane, believing it would take him there.
The zoo stated it does not plan to euthanize the lion, emphasizing that the killing resulted from deliberate trespassing, an incident that was "completely unpredictable" and "outside of any scenario within the park’s routine."
"Leona, the lioness of Arruda Camara Park, is doing well and will continue to receive all the necessary care. Following the incident, she was immediately assessed by the technical team and [remains] under observation and continuous monitoring, as she has undergone a high level of stress. It is important to reiterate that euthanasia was never considered," the zoo said in a statement translated from Portuguese.
The lion is reportedly stressed but shows no signs of behavior that would warrant concern for euthanasia.
"Leona is healthy, does not show aggressive behavior out of the context of the incident and will not be sacrificed. The protocol in situations like this provides exactly what is being done: monitoring, behavioral evaluation and specialized care. Bica's team, veterinarians, caregivers and technicians are entirely dedicated to Leona's well-being, ensuring she stays well, stabilizes emotionally and safely resumes her routine."