New Delhi | Jagran Trending Desk: In a recent viral video that has been doing rounds all over the Internet, a lion at a Jamaican zoo can be seen biting off a zookeeper's finger in front of horrified visitors. The shocking incident took place at Jamaica Zoo in St Elizabeth, Jamaica Observer reported.
In the video, the zookeeper can be seen at the start of the video teasing the beast, prodding it, and poking his fingers through the cage. Despite the lion growling at him and showing his teeth, the man continues to prod inside the cage. The lion then clamps its jaws on the man's finger, tearing it off before he can free himself from its grip.
Never seen such stupidity before in my life. pic.twitter.com/g95iFFgHkP
— Mo-Mo💙 (@Morris_Monye) May 22, 2022
A witness told the Jamaica Observer the incident unfolded in front of a crowd of about 15 people. She said the zookeeper was trying to impress visitors as their tour came to an end.
"When it happened, I thought it was a joke. I didn’t think it was serious. I didn’t realize the seriousness of it, because it’s their job to put on a show," said the woman.
"Obviously, when he fell on the ground everybody realized that it was serious. Everybody started to panic. The entire skin and about the first joint of his finger was gone," she added.
Jamaica Zoo described the incident as tragic in a statement. It condemned the actions of the man and described him as a contractor rather than a permanent member of staff.
"It is an unfortunate event that should never have happened, and we - the family of Jamaica Zoo - are doing everything to assist the gentleman moving forward," Jamaica Zoo added.
Meanwhile, the man's actions were condemned by people on Twitter, with many of them firmly siding with the lion.
"Show off bring disgrace The lion at Jamaica Zoo ripped his finger off," wrote one Twitter user. Another user wrote, "Why would you, as a big man, continuously stick your finger in the cage where there is a lion?"