(MENAFN- Live Mint) A 44-year-old man walked into a lions' den to impress his girlfriend. Literally! The stunt cost him his life.
A zookeeper at a private zoo in Uzbekistan 's Parkent entered the lions' enclosure to record a video of himself. However, the shocking video making rounds on social media captured his final moments instead, as three lions mauled him to death.
According to the Mirror, the zookeeper, F Iriskulov, entered the lion's den at 5 am during the last hours of his night shift.
In the CCTV footage, he can be seen opening the padlock and approaching the lions, who were sitting calmly.
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Initially, it seemed that the big cats were not going to attack. However, within moments, one of the lions suddenly approached him. Iriskulov wasn't too alarmed by it and was heard calling the wild cat by its name,“Simba,” as he told the lion to stay quiet.
The zookeeper then proceeded to stroke the big cat's mane. He then flipped the camera towards himself and stroked another of the lions that came near him.
What seemed like a heartwarming video showcasing the love between humans and animals took a horrifying turn when a lion pounced on him for attack.
Iriskulov kept shouting, "Be quiet, be quiet,” as he unintentionally captured his last moments on camera.
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LiveMint has decided not to share the video widely available on social media, as it contains graphic and disturbing content that may not be suitable for all.
In contrast to social media's narrative, a Dailystar report, citing the police statement to the local media, said the lions had escaped the cage into the zoo's courtyard and attacked Iriskulov, who later died from his injuries .
“Today, December 17, three lions kept in a single cage at the Lion Park private zoo, located in the Parkent district of Tashkent Region, escaped into the zoo's courtyard," the department said.
“The lions entered the courtyard, attacking and injuring a 44-year-old keeper born in 1980. Unfortunately, the keeper later died from his injuries,” they added.
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According to media reports, to control the lions, the zoo authorities had to shoot one of the lions dead, while the other two were tranquilised.
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