Note: Some readers may find the graphic descriptions, pictures, and video in this article upsetting.
When a zookeeper entered a lion’s enclosure to “impress his girlfriend,” he was fatally attacked by the animals. The horrific event was captured on camera.

F Iriskulov, a zookeeper working the night shift at Lion Park in Parkent, Uzbekistan, broke into a padlocked section of the private reserve on December 17 and recorded the incident.

Three lions were in the courtyard when he entered, and the video shows the instant the animals came up to him and attacked.

The 44-year-old recorded himself opening the padlock to reveal three lions in a courtyard.

The lions didn’t seem to mind him at first, but then they suddenly got to their feet. Instead of attacking right away, the lions approached as Iriskulov spoke to one of them, Simba.

In the video, he can be heard telling Simba to keep quiet.

EAST2WEST claims that the zookeeper made the video with the intention of sending it to his girlfriend in an attempt to “impress” her.

He kept trying to tell the lions to “be quiet,” but they kept getting closer until his soothing voice devolved into frantic cries and the lions launched their assault.

In a similar vein, Babaji Daule, a trained lion handler in Nigeria, was mauled to death in September 2024 while trying to show the animal how to feed.

At the Presidential Library Wildlife Park in Abeokuta, in the Ogun State of Nigeria, Daule was an accomplished lion handler.

According to reports, the zookeeper suffered “serious fatal injuries” to his neck and passed away “on the spot.”

The Compassionate Friends can be reached at (877) 969-0010 if you have suffered a loss and would like to talk to someone in private.