The frightening incident occurred in the city of Santa Cruz in front of the eyes of more than a dozen visitors. An eyewitness who was at the scene said that the employee left the scene on his own, after he managed to get out of the jaws of the huge predator: “I think he still did not feel the pain because of the adrenaline”
A visit to a zoo in Jamaica took a horrible turn after one of the workers was attacked by a lion. In a video taken by one of the visitors, the anonymous worker can be seen standing a few inches from the nervous predator and teasing him from the other side of the fence. At one point, he pushes his hand in to annoy the animal even more – before the lion grabs one of his fingers with his sharp teeth.
More than a dozen people watched in horror as the worker tried to free himself from the lion’s grip for 15 seconds. Finally, he falls to the ground after he manages to get out of his jaws and grabs his injured hand.
An eyewitness who was at the scene told the Jamaica Observer website that it took everyone a few moments to realize it was not part of a show. “When he bit him, I was sure it was a joke,” she said. “I did not think the situation was so serious, I thought it was part of his job. It was only when he fell to the ground that I realized he was really injured. Only then did people start to panic.”
Another woman said that a few moments after the incident, the same employee got into his car and drove away – apparently to get medical help. “He stripped the skin of the whole finger as he tried to free himself from the lion’s grip,” she said. “The last joint of the finger, where the nail is, was completely amputated. I ran away quickly because I could not see such things. It was full of blood, it was very graphic. Nevertheless, from what I saw, the worker who was attacked walked away completely calm. I think he is not there yet. I felt the pain because of the adrenaline. ”
The zoo management, located in the town of Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth County, has since commented on the video, noting that they have not been notified of such an incident. Despite this, a spokeswoman for the Association for the Prevention of Animal Abuse announced that they had already begun an investigation into the circumstances of the incident. Pamela Lawson, the association’s general manager, added: “We will get there soon and check the condition of the lions’ compound, together with representatives of the Ministry of Environment who are responsible for the supervision of zoos in Jamaica.”
Documentation of the incident has since surfaced on social media, where it went viral with millions of views and thousands of comments from surfers – most of whom did not understand what the employee was thinking to himself. “When you play silly games, you win silly prizes,” wrote one surfer. “I hope he’s fine.”