Teen who wanted to work with animals mauled to death by lion after climbing into zoo enclosure

A teen who dreamed of working with big cats has tragically been mauled to death by a lion in a zoo.

Gerson Machado, from Brazil, had reportedly tried to get to Africa by stowing himself on a plane in a bid to get up close and train the predatory felines, until his face-to-face meeting with a big cat ended in tragedy.

The 19-year-old allegedly broke into a lion enclosure while visiting a zoo in Brazil, called Arruda Camara Zoobotanical Park in the city of Joao Pessoa, on Sunday (November 30), which involved scaling a huge wall and shimmying down a tree.

Disturbing footage shows the moment the lioness then pounced on the teen moments before he touched the ground, in full view of other zoo visitors who watched on in horror.

Zoo vets described the animal as being 'stressed' and 'in shock' after seeing the trespasser.

The harrowing footage went viral online (X)

In the footage, the lion, Leona, could be seen lying near to the glass where visitors are stood filming when she makes a swift move towards the tree as Gerson comes down it.

After pulling him to the ground, bushes could be seen shaking.

The teen momentarily could be seen standing up from the bush before suddenly disappearing from view again.

Officials then announced the teen had died as a result of his injuries.

In an Instagram post, the park said 'euthanasia was never considered' for Leona in the aftermath of the tragedy, adding that she 'shows no aggressive behaviour outside the context of the incident'.

According to The Sun, Gerson grew up in care and had mental health issues, having reportedly confessed to social workers over the years of his ambition to live amongst Africa's big cats.

Child protection worker Veronica Oliveira said in a video on Instagram that she supported the youngster for eight years and revealed the moment he was caught trying to board a plane to 'go on safari to Africa to look after lions'.

“I thanked God when I was warned by the airport that you had cut the fence and got inside the landing gear compartment of a Gol Airlines plane," she said.

“I thanked God because they saw on the cameras that there was a teenager there before a tragedy happened."

The professional also told the outlet that his childhood was marked by poverty and a family history of mental health illnesses, and that he 'should have been in treatment'.

She said: “Gerson was a child who suffered violations of his rights.

“He was the son of a mother with schizophrenia, with grandparents who also had mental health issues.”

The lioness pounced as the teen used a tree to gain entry into the enclosure (X)

Oliveira continued: “Gerson’s story is that of a boy who just wanted to get to know Africa to tame lions.

“He discovered too late that a lion isn’t a domestic cat and that we can’t tame them without the right knowledge.

"Sadly he wasn’t sensible enough for that.”

City hall officials confirmed the zoo would remain closed while an investigation is underway, adding: "The man killed scaled a 20ft wall and managed to get into the animal enclosure using one of the trees.

“According to police it was a possible act of suicide.

“Although security staff tried to stop him, he acted very quickly and died as a result of the injuries the lioness inflicted on him

“We would like to express our solidarity with the family of the victim of this regrettable incident.”

The zoo added in a statement on Instagram that the incident was 'extremely sad'.

"We reiterate that the park follows rigorous technical standards and safety protocols, and we are fully cooperating with all responsible bodies to clarify the facts," the zoo added.