Man Mauled To Death After Climbing Into Lion's Den For A Selfie

A man was mauled to death after he "intentionally" climbed into the lion's den in an attempt to snap a selfie with the king of beasts.

Prahlad Gujjar was visiting the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, also known as Tirupati Zoo, in Andhra Pradesh, India when he decided it was a good idea to jump a fence to get a picture with the lion.

The Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park currently houses over 1,000 animals of 31 species, one of which is lions. Currently, there are three lions at the zoo, and 40-year-old Prahlad Guijar decided to try and snap a selfie with one of them.

Despite being told not to climb the fence by a caretaker, Guijar ignored the warning and still "climbed the wall and chain-link fencing" before "intentionally" jumping into the zoo enclosure.

"After seeing the human being inside the enclosure, the animal attacked," a release said. "Though the animal keeper and other security staff nearby tried to save the person, the animal dragged the person inside the enclosure."

Gurjar is said to have tried escaping by climbing a tree, but the lion dragged him down and mauled his neck for 10 minutes. He is believed to have died from excessive bleeding.

"Though the watcher on duty cautioned him not to get close to the enclosure, Prahlad intentionally marched towards the enclosure which had a four-feet wall and six-feet iron fencing, and jumped into it," zoo curator C Selvam told The Times Of India. "We have taken utmost precaution to prevent such incidents. We will once again review the security measures to prevent such incidents in the future."

The 12-year-old lion was caged, so authorities could retrieve the body.

Images and video footage of the aftermath were shared by Times reporter Sudhakar Udumula on X, the social media platform formerly Twitter. The pics show the lion, whose name is Dungarpur, sitting in a cage as officials were inspecting the enclosure.

"Man dares lion for a selfie, jumps into enclosure, gets mauled," Udumula shared alongside the photos and video footage. "40-year-old Prahlad Gujjar jumped into a lion enclosure for a selfie in Tirupati SV Zoo park. He also behaved in a way to provoke the lion. After the lion attacked him, he made an in vain attempt to save himself by climbing a tree."

He appeared to be drunk at the time of the incident, but police have since launched an investigation and are looking into whether the man was influenced by any substances.

Police said a post-mortem examination will be carried out on his remains.

This is not the first incident to occur in a zoo in Andhra Pradesh. On November 27, a bear attacked and killed a zoo employee after he forgot to shut the safety door. And in December, a man was mauled to death by tigers at the Bahawalpur Zoo.

Remember, ALL wild animals can be dangerous if they feel threatened or in danger. Zoos are constructed so that people can view and learn about the animals from a safe distance, and barriers are placed around the animals to help keep both people and animals safe.