For the Greater Good? Two Lions Killed to Protect Suicidal Man in Chile

A zoo in Santiago, Chile was forced to kill two lions on Saturday to protect a suicidal man who had entered their cage in front of shocked visitors.

It is assumed that the perpetrator was trying to commit suicide by climbing down to the animals. Zoo Director, Alejandra Montalva, explained that according to the appropriate security protocols it is required in the case of threat to human life to kill the animal first.

The “suicidal man had penetrated into the paddock with the lions, ripped his clothes off and began to tease our animals,” AFP reported Montalva as saying.

The carnivorous felines, a male and a female, instinctively attacked and had to be put down. Anesthetic darts would not have stopped the attack in time, she explained.

Security protocols kicked in immediately when staff saw the man climb down with a rope into the African lions' enclosure.

“We're shaken by this because the animals in the zoo are part of our family,” Montalva said.

“These were lions that had been with us for more than 20 years. The man, in his 20s or 30s, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries,” the director added.

The incident took place on Saturday when there was a large crowd of visitors.