A zookeeper was mauled to death by a lion after he forgot to lock the enclosure properly at the Nicolas Bravo zoo in Tulancingo, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.
Gustavo Serrano Carabajal, 28, was cleaning the lion’s cage but forgot to lock the gate to the animal’s enclosure properly when he was done. The lion then opened the gate and pounced on Carabajal, biting him in his neck. Carbajal’s body was later found in the enclosure by other zoo workers. He was already dead before emergency services arrived at the zoo.
Kimba, the 22-year-old male lion (Panthera leo) will not be put down despite killing the zookeeper, the local councillor for Tulancingo, Fernandez Perez Romero, said. Romero said authorities would work to reinforce safety measures when working with animals in captivity. The councillor also said 75% of the animals in the zoo were being sheltered there on behalf of the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA).
The local council will work to support the victim’s family.
