ISTANBUL — A person was critically injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkey on Sunday, native media reported. The lion was later shot lifeless.
The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort metropolis on the Mediterranean coast, within the early hours, the non-public Demiroren Information Company mentioned. A number of hours later, he attacked a 53-year-old man as he slept open air.
“I heard a whispering sound. After I lifted the blanket, the lion fell on me,” Suleyman Kir informed the company. “We struggled and fought. … I grabbed his neck and squeezed. At that second, he ran off slightly.”
Kir was hospitalized with wounds to his head and shoulder. Police groups and drones discovered the lion by close by accommodations.
Land of Lions’ web site boasts that the park holds “the world’s largest lion household” of greater than 30 animals. It additionally comprises tigers, bears and wolves.
It wasn’t clear how the lion escaped. The zoo didn’t touch upon Sunday.