A routine safari tour turned into a nightmare when a veteran zookeeper was savagely attacked by a pride of lions in full view of horrified tourists.
A seasoned zookeeper with over three decades of experience working with lions has been killed in a savage attack, leaving tourists horrified after watching the gruesome scene unfold before their eyes.
Jian Rangkharasamee, 58, was leading a safari tour at Safari World Bangkok in Thailand on Wednesday morning when he exited his vehicle inside the lion enclosure in an act that would prove fatal.
"The lion attacked the zookeeper while he was getting out of his car," witness Tavatchai Kanchanarin told The Sun.
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"It was about 10 metres away, then slowly approached and grabbed the zookeeper from behind, dragging him to the ground and biting him."
Within seconds, three to four other lions apparently joined in as panicked onlookers honked their horns and shouted in a desperate attempt to scare off the animals.
"Many people witnessed the incident but didn't know how to help," Mr Kanchanarin added. "They honked their own car horns and shouted for help."
It took staff 15 agonising minutes to reach Mr Rangkharasamee and pull him from the enclosure. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Police Colonel Niruchphon Yothamat from Khannayao Police Station confirmed the zookeeper had broken protocol.
"Normally, he would stay in the vehicle, and the lion would move away once the engine was started, but in this case, the vehicle's door was still open."
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has since ordered the temporary closure of the safari zone while safety checks are carried out.
"The incident will be further investigated to determine what happened," said DNP Director-General Atthapol Charoenchansa.
A senior Safari World official told local media that all 32 lions at the park are licensed.
"We have rules and we repeat them often as we work with dangerous animals."
But conservation groups have condemned the park's handling of the situation.
"This incident should serve as a stark reminder that these animals, even when raised by humans from birth, still pose a serious threat to human life that can be triggered without warning," said Edwin Wiek of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand.
Animal rights group PETA also weighed in, urging the park to relocate the lions.
"Safari World must relocate the lions, who have done nothing wrong other than exhibit their natural behaviours, to a sanctuary," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The incident marks at least the second fatal animal attack at a park in Thailand this year. In January, an elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand.