A 38-year-old man was mauled to death by an eight-year-old male Asiatic lion at the Venkateswara Zoo in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati on Thursday after he entered its enclosure to click a selfie with it. Prahlad Gujjar hailing from Rajasthan’s Alwar district reached the zoo around 4pm and entered the restricted area. The lion which was there in the enclosure mauled him to death.

“Though our animal keeper noticed and cautioned Gujjar from entering the restricted area, he scaled the six-foot-high fence and jumped into the lions’ enclosure,” Tirupati Zoo curator C Selvam told PTI. Selvam said the zoo staff tried to rescue him but could not do so.

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However, his body was found intact with only neck injuries at the part where the animal bit him, the official said. Following the attack, the lion was locked in the nighthouse.

The police registered a case in the matter and the body was sent for a post-mortem. The zoo officials found Gujjar’s purse while searching the enclosure following which they contacted the deceased person’s family. However, no mobile phone has been recovered from the site.

(With inputs from PTI)