Teen who dreamed of working with animals is mauled to death by lion after climbing into zoo enclosure

A troubled teenager who dreamed of becoming a lion tamer was mauled to death in front of horrified zoo-goers after climbing a 20-foot fence to get into the big cats’ enclosure.

Gerson de Melo Machado, 19, snuck into the lionesses’s pen at Brazil’s Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara in the city of Joao Pessoa on Sunday, scrambling over a wire-topped fence to climb down a tree inside the lions’ pen, Brazilian outlet O Correio Braziliense reported.

Horrified visitors watched helplessly as lioness Leona ran over to the foot of the tree as Machado slowly climbed down — then suddenly pounced on him, video shared on X shows.

The big cat dragged the teenager behind a wall.

Machado reappeared briefly as he tried to run away, before the lioness leaped on him again.

The teen had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was institutionalized as a child, before spending time in prison, according to O Correio Braziliense.

He previously snuck into the landing gear of an Africa-bound plane in pursuit of his dream to tame lions, but was discovered just in time and referred to Child Protective Services.

The zoo, in the eastern Brazilian state of Paraiba, confirmed that the teenager had died — while stating that the lioness would not be euthanized, given that it was not the animal’s fault.

The animal “was immediately evaluated by the technical team and remains under continuous observation and monitoring, as she experienced a high level of stress,” the zoo wrote on Instagram.

“Leona is healthy, does not exhibit aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident, and will not be euthanized. The protocol in situations like this provides exactly what is being done: monitoring, behavioral assessment, and specialized care,” the statement continued.

The zoo was “immediately closed, following all safety protocols,” the facility said, saying it would remain closed Monday amid the ongoing investigation.

A troubled teenager who dreamed of becoming a lion tamer was mauled to death in front of horrified zoo-goers after climbing a 20-foot fence to get into the big cats’ enclosure.

Gerson de Melo Machado, 19, snuck into the lionesses’s pen at Brazil’s Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara in the city of Joao Pessoa on Sunday, scrambling over a wire-topped fence to climb down a tree inside the lions’ pen, Brazilian outlet O Correio Braziliense reported.

Horrified visitors watched helplessly as lioness Leona ran over to the foot of the tree as Machado slowly climbed down — then suddenly pounced on him, video shared on X shows.

The big cat dragged the teenager behind a wall.

Machado reappeared briefly as he tried to run away, before the lioness leaped on him again.

The teen had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was institutionalized as a child, before spending time in prison, according to O Correio Braziliense.

He previously snuck into the landing gear of an Africa-bound plane in pursuit of his dream to tame lions, but was discovered just in time and referred to Child Protective Services.

The zoo, in the eastern Brazilian state of Paraiba, confirmed that the teenager had died — while stating that the lioness would not be euthanized, given that it was not the animal’s fault.

The animal “was immediately evaluated by the technical team and remains under continuous observation and monitoring, as she experienced a high level of stress,” the zoo wrote on Instagram.

“Leona is healthy, does not exhibit aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident, and will not be euthanized. The protocol in situations like this provides exactly what is being done: monitoring, behavioral assessment, and specialized care,” the statement continued.

The zoo was “immediately closed, following all safety protocols,” the facility said, saying it would remain closed Monday amid the ongoing investigation.