TAIPEI, Taiwan — A lion mauled a man who jumped into its cage Wednesday at a zoo in Taiwan’s capital, yelling religious slogans.
Cable TV stations captured the attack in which the man apparently escaped without being seriously injured.
Witness Hsu Li-jen told cable station CTI that the man shouted ‘Jesus will save you’ at the animals.
Broadcast footage showed a lion ripping the man’s jacket off as he stood in the cage’s grassy enclosure. The animal bit his arm and clawed at his trousers before retreating.
The man, identified only by the last name Chen, then calmly stood with his arms outstretched in front of the animal. A second lion in the cage did not join in the attack.
Witness Hsu Li-jen told cable station CTI that the man shouted “Jesus will save you” at the animals.
Guards drove the lions away with water hoses, and police shot the animals with tranquilizer darts. The man then picked up his jacket and climbed out of the pen himself. He was taken to the hospital for tests.