A lion named Zeus that escaped from a theme park in Turkey has been shot dead after it attacked a sleeping farm worker in the early hours of Sunday.
The incident happened near the tourist city of Antalya. The lion got out of its cage at the Land of Lions animal park in Manavgat, about 60 kilometres from the city, according to the local governor.
The animal reportedly attacked a man named Suleiman Kir, who was resting with his wife in a pistachio field. Kir said he was sleeping under a blanket when the lion approached him.
“We were covered with blankets to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and when the prayer call sounded, I tried to stand up but I couldn’t,” Kir told BirGun newspaper.
He said he first thought it was a dog but later realised it was a large lion. “As the lion was biting my calf and my neck, I grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze, and he backed off,” he said. “We called for help, but there was no one around.”
Security forces arrived shortly after and shot the animal.
The governor said in a statement that the lion had to be killed because it was a danger to the public. He added that an investigation is ongoing.
BirGun reported that the Land of Lions park houses about 30 big cats.
