Man mauled by lions in Chilean zoo is recovering, say authorities
Man mauled by lions in Chilean zoo is recovering, say authorities
Metropolitan Zoo in Santiago fends off criticism for shooting two lions as details emerge of its poor safety record and delusions of man who stripped naked in pen
Jonathan Franklin in Santiago
@FranklinBlog
Tuesday 24 May 2016 20.32 EDT
Two zoo lions shot dead after the mauling of a man who jumped into their enclosure have been given a private funeral in Chile – while the man is now expected to survive both his wounds and being accidentally hit with an animal tranquiliser during rescue attempts.
Management at the Santiago Metropolitan Zoo stood by their decision to shoot the animals during the drama on Saturday, while details emerged of how the troubled young man involved, Franco Ferrara, 20, may have suffered delusions based around the biblical tale of Daniel and the lions.
Ferrara climbed into the cage and stripped naked, then wrapped his arms around a lion’s neck.
He was left with severe injuries to his head, pelvis and chest. Both lions were shot dead in accordance with zoo policy regarding such incidents.
The drama took place in front a packed holiday crowd, leading to a huge public outcry about the fate of the lions and calls for the zoo to be shut down.
But management remained steadfast in their support of the decision. Director Alejandra Montalba was wracked by grief for the loss of what she called “two members of our family” but insisted: “We saved the life of this person.”
On Monday a private funeral service was held for the lions, one of which was born in the Santiago zoo and the other rescued from mistreatment in an itinerant circus in southern Chile.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/25/man-mauled-by-lions-in-chilean-zoo-is-recovering-say-authorities
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