A veteran zookeeper at the Safari World Open Zoo in Bangkok died this week after being attacked by five lions.
Keeper Jian Rangkharasamee, 58, a 20-year veteran of the zoo’s lion and tiger area, got out of his car and stood with his back turned towards the five lions just before the attack Wednesday, according to the Bangkok Post.
The attack was started by a male lion named Trump, and lions named Ai, Aon, Bite and Yao then joined in, according to the Thailand news site Khaosod English.
Trump “was about [30 feet] away, then slowly approached and grabbed the zookeeper from behind, dragging him to the ground and biting him,” witness Tavatchai Kanchanarin told Agence France-Presse.
The five lions are roughly 10 years old. They are now being held separately so that experts can try and rehabilitate their behavior.
Safari World Public Company Limited, the zoo’s parent company, said that Mr. Rangharasamee died from his injuries and that the attack was the first incident of its kind in over 40 years of operation.
The big cat area of the zoo housing lions and tigers is now closed, Safari World said on Facebook.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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