This is the terrifying moment a zoo employee’s finger was bitten off by a lion after he put his hand through the cage to show off in front of visitors.
The clip was taken on May 20 at around 4.22pm at Jamaica Zoo, near Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, as up to 15 horrified individuals looked on.
The man can be seen mocking the lion and pushing his fingers into the enclosure to touch the animal’s mane in the footage.
However, when the zookeeper furiously attempts to take his hand away, the lion locks its jaws around his finger.
The man tussles with the lion, using his leg for stability and his left hand to seize hold of his right arm.
He is unable to extricate his finger from the lion’s teeth, and his right ring finger appears to have been severed from his hand.
‘When it happened, I thought it was a joke,’ a witness told The Jamaica Observer. I didn’t realize how serious it was because it was their duty to put up a show.
‘Obviously, when he fell on the ground everybody realised that it was serious. Everybody started to panic.’
‘The entire skin and about the first joint of his finger was gone,’ the woman continued.
‘I ran away from the whole thing, because me nuh like see blood and it was too graphic for me.
‘His facial expression when he was walking is like the pain never kicked in.’
‘We will be going down there and I will be communicating with the National Environment and Planning Agency who has oversight over Jamaica Zoo,’ said Pamela Lawson, managing director of the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The facility’s management issued a statement on Sunday, saying, ‘The actions exhibited in a video by a contractor to Jamaica Zoo are terrible and do not represent the safety protocols and rules that must be followed at all times at Jamaica Zoo.’
‘We are currently reviewing the video, with a view of preventing any future recurrences.
‘It is an unfortunate event that should never have happened, and we the family of Jamaica Zoo are doing everything to assist the gentleman in moving forward.
‘We do hope you continue to support Jamaica Zoo. We have always been and will continue to be a safe place for you and your family to visit.’
