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A man believed to be drunk was attacked by lions after allegedly freeing them from their enclosures at a zoo.
The animals were being kept at a reserve for former circus animals when the man reportedly scaled a fence and released six lions.
When the animals turned on him, he sought refuge inside one of their cages.
A dog that was present at the scene was also killed by the lions.
The man even filmed the lions roaring and prowling near the cage where he was hiding. Zoo keepers eventually arrived and raised the alarm.
The man, believed to be around 40 years old and dressed in a torn black sweatshirt and shredded blue jeans, was eventually rescued, and the lions were returned to their enclosures.
The incident occurred at Los Pinos Reserve in San Pedro Cholula, Mexico, on Monday, March 9.
The man responsible for releasing the animals was taken to hospital, where he was treated for severe injuries to his arms and face. The lions were unharmed.
In a clip from the incident that surfaced on Mexican newspaper Milenio’s YouTube channel, shaky footage — apparently filmed by the man — shows the lions through the bars of the cage.
As the camera shifts to the ground, it shows a lifeless, blurred animal lying in the grass while birds can be heard crowing loudly and lions roaring in the background.
It appears the man was trying to protect himself behind a gate that had been pulled open, creating a triangular space between the gate and the inner fence enclosing the lions.
A photo of the man taken in hospital shows what appear to be extensive injuries to his face, which was bandaged and looked swollen and scratched in several places.
