Zookeeper Fatally Mauled By Lions While Filming To Impress Girlfriend

Warning: This article includes graphic descriptions, images, and videos that may be upsetting to some readers.A zookeeper tragically lost his life after entering a lion enclosure to reportedly ‘impress his girlfriend.’ The horrifying event was caught on camera, adding an unsettling layer to the incident.On December 17, during his shift at Lion Park in Parkent, Uzbekistan, F Iriskulov, a zookeeper working at the private reserve, entered the lion’s area at night, filming himself as he unlocked the gates to the enclosure.

The footage captures the tense moment Iriskulov stepped into the courtyard that held three lions.At first, the animals appeared indifferent to his presence, but things took a chilling turn when they began moving toward him and, eventually, launched their attack.

 

 

The 44-year-old zookeeper filmed himself as he carefully unlocked the padlock to the courtyard, which housed three lions.Initially, the animals seemed calm and uninterested in his arrival.However, as soon as he stepped further inside, the lions started to stir.

While they didn’t attack right away, they slowly began to approach him as he attempted to call out to one of them, a lion named Simba.

In the recording, Iriskulov can be heard saying: “Simba, be quiet.”According to EAST2WEST News, the zookeeper intended to send the video to his girlfriend as a way to ‘impress’ her.Unfortunately, his repeated attempts to calm the lions and tell them to ‘be quiet’ were futile.

Their curiosity quickly turned into aggression as his voice shifted from calm instructions to panicked screams. Shortly after, the lions attacked.

F Iriskulov was a lion handler at a private zoo in UzbekistanEAST2WEST
The footage cuts off abruptly once Iriskulov starts screaming. Reports indicate that two of the lions were tranquilized, while the third was shot dead by zoo officials trying to regain control of the situation.By the time zoo personnel arrived, it was too late. The lions had killed Iriskulov and, according to an official statement, had ‘partially consumed the body.’As reported by The Mirror, regional police released a statement saying: “Today, December 17, three lions kept in a single cage at the Lion Park private zoo, located in the Parkent district of Tashkent Region, escaped into the zoo’s courtyard.”

“[…] The lions entered the yard, attacking and injuring a 44-year-old keeper born in 1980. Unfortunately, the keeper later died from his injuries.”Tragically, this incident is not the only case of a zookeeper losing their life to a lion attack.In September 2024, a lion handler named Babaji Daule from Nigeria also suffered a fatal attack while demonstrating the animal’s feeding routine.

The keeper was attacked by three lionsEAST2WEST
Babaji Daule was a skilled lion handler working at the Presidential Library Wildlife Park in Abeokuta, located in Nigeria’s Ogun State.Despite his experience, Daule sustained fatal injuries to his neck and was pronounced dead on the spot.