A 19-year-old man has been killed in Brazil after climbing into a lion's enclosure at a zoo in front of a crowd of horrified visitors.
On Sunday, Gerson de Melo Machado entered the predator’s pen at the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park in the Brazilian coastal city of João Pessoa.
Footage of the incident showed the teenager clinging to a tree after climbing over a 20-foot wall to enter the enclosure.
Tragedy struck when the lioness, named Leona, attacked him after he stepped down from the tree.
Footage of the incident showed the teenager climbing over a 20ft wall to enter the enclosure
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After the incident, vets described Leona as “in shock” and in a “stressed" state.
Brazilian media outlets reported that Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park was closed following the death, with no reopening date confirmed.
Mr Machado is believed to have suffered from severe mental health issues and spent most of his life in the country’s care system.
The 19-year-old is also said to have had a fascination with big cats.
After the incident, vets described Leona as 'in shock' and in a 'stressed' state
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He had previously attempted to reach Africa as a plane stowaway to pursue his dream of becoming a lion trainer.
Correctional officer Ed Alves said Mr Machado had been arrested 16 times, ten of them while he was under 18.
Local media outlets have reported that the teenager had previously attempted to enter the lion's enclosure.
His former child protection worker, Veronica Oliveira, said that Mr Machado had a troubled family life and had grown up in extreme poverty.
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Mr Machado had been arrested 16 times, ten of them while he was under 18
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Ms Oliveira revealed that his mother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
She told a Brazilian outlet: “Gerson was a child who suffered violations of his rights."
Remembering his goal of becoming a lion trainer, the social worker wrote: “You told me you were going to take a plane to go on safari to Africa to look after lions.
“I thanked God when I was warned by the airport that you had cut the fence and got inside the landing gear compartment of a Gol Airlines plane.
“I thanked God because they saw on the cameras that there was a teenager there before a tragedy happened.”
Ms Oliveira added: “Gerson’s story is that of a boy who just wanted to get to know Africa to tame lions.
“He discovered too late that a lion isn’t a domestic cat and that we can’t tame them without the right knowledge.
"Sadly he wasn’t sensible enough for that.”
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