Lion bites off zookeeper's finger as he pokes through cage. Watch video
Premium- The clip shows that the zookeeper sticks his finger into the chain-linked cage and tries to tease the lion.
In a bizarre incident, a lion ripped off the fingers of a zookeeper in Jamaica as he tried to poke his hands through the cage. The harder the man tried to pull away his finger, the lion continues to hold on. The video of the same has now gone viral.
The clip shows that the zookeeper sticks his finger into the chain-linked cage and tries to tease the lion. Even as the cat snarls, the zookeeper ignores that and continues to play with it. There were around 15 visitors in front of the cage.
In another clip, the lion strikes back, clamping its jaws around the man's finger. The man ended up losing his ring finger entirely.
An eyewitness told Jamaica Observer, zookeeper was showing off to onlookers when it all went horribly wrong. “When it happened, I thought it was a joke," the woman said, adding, “I didn't realise the seriousness of it, because it's their job to put on a show."
Jamaican Observer reported that the managing director at the Jamaica Society for the Preventional of Cruelty to Animals, Pamela Lawson, has said that the incident would be investigated.
Separately, in a statement, Jamaica Zoo assured that the zoo is a safe place to be for both people and animals. It explained that the actions displayed in the video are of a “contractor" of Jamaica Zoo. Calling the incident “tragic", the statement stated that the clip does not represent the safety procedures and policies that must be adhered to at all times.