A 19-year-old Brazilian man was fatally mauled by a lioness at the Arruda Camara Zoobotanical Park in Joao Pessoa after climbing over multiple barriers and entering the enclosure, local authorities confirmed.
The victim, Gerson de Melo Machado, had long battled severe mental health issues and reportedly fantasized about becoming a lion tamer, according to acquaintances.
The city government reported that Machado “deliberately entered the lioness’s enclosure” on Sunday morning after scaling a six-meter wall, crossing safety fencing, and using a tree to descend into the habitat.
Shocking videos circulating online show the lioness, Leona, resting by the visitor viewing glass before suddenly racing toward the tree as Machado descended. She pulled him to the ground, and bushes shook violently as horrified onlookers exclaimed in disbelief. The teen briefly rose before disappearing from view.
Flavio Fabres, head of the city’s Legal Medical Institute, confirmed Machado’s identity via fingerprints. He said the teen died from “bleeding caused by injuries to the neck vessels.”
State environmental authorities inspected the zoo on Monday, and the facility remains closed. Park veterinarian Thiago Nery defended the enclosure’s safety, calling the incident “completely unpredictable.” The zoo added that euthanizing Leona was never considered, noting she exhibited no abnormal aggression outside the incident.
Officials suggested Machado’s actions may have been a possible suicide attempt.
Child protection counselor Veronica Oliveira, who had followed Machado’s case for eight years, said he cycled through numerous institutional care systems but never received adequate treatment, despite a family history of schizophrenia.
Relatives said Machado believed he needed money to travel to Africa and had previously cut through an airport fence and hidden in the landing gear of a plane he assumed was bound for the continent.
His cousin, Icara Menezes, said he “spent half his life in detention” but was “never a bad boy—just someone who needed help.”
A local prison official reported that Machado had been detained 16 times in both juvenile and adult facilities, while another staff member said he had the intellect of a five-year-old, describing the tragedy as “waiting to happen.”
