A longtime zoo employee was killed by lions at a safari park in Bangkok on Wednesday after failing to follow safety protocols, police confirmed following their investigation.

The victim, Jian, 58, had worked as a caretaker for lions and tigers at the zoo for three decades. The fatal incident took place around 11.00 a.m. on 10 September 2025, when Jian stepped out of his vehicle to pick up a dropped item inside the safari park in the Khannayao district, said Police Colonel Niruchpon Yothamat of Khannayao Police Station.

While bending down with his back turned, a lion from about 10 meters away suddenly charged and attacked him from behind. The animal dragged Jian to the ground and mauled him, soon joined by three to four other lions.

The attack lasted nearly 15 minutes as shocked tourists – both Thai and foreign – watched from their vehicles, honking horns and shouting in a desperate attempt to drive the lions away.

Onlookers thought the zookeeper was being embraced by the lions

Colonel Dr. Thawatchai Kanchanarin, a former surgeon at Phramongkutklao Hospital who witnessed the incident, said many onlookers initially thought the lions were playing with a familiar caretaker. “People believed the lions were just trying to embrace him, so no one intervened at first,” he explained.

Investigators later determined that the employee had entered the area to feed the lions without following the park’s mandatory safety procedures. Fellow staff eventually managed to rescue him and rush him to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

This is the first fatal lion attack ever reported at the zoo.

The park is well known for its orangutans that embrace female visitors during photo sessions.

Source: Khaosod English, Daily Mail

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