Lions eat zookeeper alive in horrific attack filmed by tourists

A zookeeper was eaten alive by lions in front of horrified tourists, who watched as the big cats chewed through his flesh to the bone, according to reports and stomach-churning videos.

Veteran zookeeper Jian Rangkasamee, 59, was attacked early Wednesday when he stepped out of his jeep to clear trash off the floor of the animal’s open enclosure at Safari World In Bangkok in Thailand‘s capital, according to Viral Press.

Panicked visitors screamed as they helplessly watched the lions pin him down and tear at him with their teeth.

The first lion “was about [30 feet] away, then slowly approached and grabbed the zookeeper from behind, dragging him to the ground and biting him,” said Professor Tavatchai Kanchanarin, a doctor at a leading hospital who witnessed the horrific attack.

“Three or four other lions then joined in biting the zookeeper,” he said, adding that he initially thought the lions were playing with him.

Fellow zookeepers, not wanting to get close to the danger, blared on their car horns in a futile attempt to scare the big cats away but the grisly attack continued.

By the time zoo staff were able to get them off with guns, the lions had gnawed on Rangkasamee’s body until his bones were exposed, leaving his lifeless body in a puddle of blood, the reports said.

Hospital staff said Jian had suffered multiple broken bones and the “majority of his flesh was damaged or missing,” Viral Press reported.

The park was shut down as park officials consider euthanizing the attacking lions. The incident is being investigated by local police.

Rangkasamee had worked with animals for 30 years and had been with the Bangkok zoo since 2019.

Park employees said there is a rule in place barring customers and employees from getting out of their vehicles to keep everyone safe.

Owners at the Bangkok World Safari Park have yet to comment on the incident. 

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, which is responsible for the country’s zoos, said staff were on their way to the facility to investigate what happened.