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A video of a Jamaica Zoo attendant getting his finger bitten off by a lion has gone viral on social media. The man stuck his hand in the lion’s cage attempting to stroke the lion. However, the animal bit into his finger as he attempted to pull away. A video of the same has been viewed on Twitter at least four million times.
The incident was captured at Jamaica Zoo, located near Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth. It occurred on May 20 around 4.22 pm as 15 shocked people watched the entire scene.
In the video, the man can be seen touching the animal as if he was playing with a tamed cat. He gets away with his actions for a while until the lion strikes and clamps its jaw around one of the man’s digits. He was seen desperately trying to get away, but the animal held on.
The zoo attendantdid not get his fingers free from the animal's teeth and ended up losing the right ring finger entirely.
Witness of the lion bite incident claims she thought it was a “joke”
One terrified watcher of the zoo incident spoke to the Jamaica Observer expressing her initial reaction. The woman, who wished to not be identified said:
“When it happened, I thought it was a joke. I didn't think it was serious. I didn't realize the seriousness of it, because it's their job to put on a show. Obviously, when he fell on the ground everybody realized that it was serious. Everybody started to panic.”
The zoo visitor also spoke about the moment following the shocking bite. She said:
“The entire skin and about the first joint of his finger was gone. I ran away from the whole thing, because me nuh like see blood and it was too graphic for me. His facial expression when was walking is like the pain never kicked in.”
Pamela Lawson, the managing director of the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), announced that they will be looking into the matter. She said:
“We will be going down there and I will be communicating with the National Environment and Planning Agency, who has oversight over Jamaica Zoo.”
Lawson also manages the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) which grants permits and provides regulations for animals held in safe captivity like zoos. NEPA has scheduled a visit to the zoo to investigate the incident. Speaking about the same, she said:
“It's just not common sense... There have been many complaints about Jamaica Zoo. You keep kicking... After a while, it's going to turn around and bite you.”
Jamaica Zoo put out their own statement regarding the same, claiming that the actions taken by the zoo attendant “do not represent the safety procedures and policies” of the facility.
They also stated that they are reviewing the incident and assisting the attendant “in moving forward.”
