Man killed after entering lioness enclosure at Brazilian zoo

A shocking video from eastern Brazil shows the moments before a man was killed after climbing into a lioness enclosure at the Bica Zoo.

(NBC)- A shocking video from eastern Brazil shows the moments before a man was killed after climbing into a lioness enclosure at the Bica Zoo. The footage begins with the man dangling from a tree as a female lion, just feet below, watches him closely.

As the man tries to slide down the trunk, the lioness lunges upward, clawing at him. When he reaches the lower part of the tree, the animal pounces—dragging him to the ground. People nearby can be heard reacting in panic.

The man briefly reemerges from the vegetation, but within moments, the struggle ends. Zoo officials later confirmed he died from the mauling.

A worker is seen using a fire extinguisher to push the lioness, named Leona, away from the body.

The Bica Zoo posted new video of Leona and released statements about the incident. Speaking in Portuguese, a zoo biologist said, “What happened was a tragedy,” adding that the lioness “simply displayed natural behavior for her species.”

According to NBC News’ translation, she continued, “At no point did the idea of putting the animal down cross our minds. Euthanasia was never considered. These are situations in which we must observe her behavior closely.”

Video recorded just before the attack shows the man scaling the enclosure’s fence moments before entering the habitat.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the zoo wrote in Portuguese that on Sunday morning, “a man deliberately entered the lioness’s enclosure, resulting in his death. This is an extremely sad episode for everyone,” adding, “We express our solidarity and condolences to the family and friends of the man, who has not yet been identified.”

In another video, the zoo’s veterinarian said the enclosure “meets and exceeds all safety requirements,” emphasizing that “there are some situations that simply cannot be predicted.”