Overview
- Authorities and local media identified the victim as Gerson de Melo Machado, 19, who climbed a roughly six-meter wall and slid down a tree into the pen before the lioness attacked, an incident captured in widely shared visitor video.
- The Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park was closed after the attack as municipal and environmental authorities opened an investigation into how the barrier was breached.
- City officials said early findings indicate the act may have been a possible suicide attempt, while a child-welfare counselor detailed Machado’s long history of mental-health struggles and prior risky behavior.
- Zoo staff and security rushed to intervene but could not save the teen, and officials confirmed he died from injuries caused by the animal.
- The lioness, Leona, is under veterinary monitoring for stress and will not be euthanized; park leaders say the enclosure exceeds technical safety standards and called the event unforeseeable.