A tragedy at João Pessoa’s zoo in Brazil, locals call it Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara, or just “Bica”, left visitors reeling. In broad daylight, right as families wandered the grounds, a 19-year-old man slipped into the lion enclosure and ended up mauled to death by a lioness.
The whole thing happened fast. People started shouting as they realised what was going on, panic spreading in seconds.
Witnesses say the guy jumped a barrier and headed straight into the restricted area, though nobody really knows why. When he saw the lioness coming, he scrambled up a tree inside the enclosure, desperate to get away.
Videos all over the internet show him clinging to a branch, terrified. But then he lost his grip and fell, right next to the lioness. She attacked almost immediately. The injuries were brutal, and he didn’t make it.
A 19-year-old man was killed by a lioness in a zoo in João Pessoa, Brazil, after trespassing into her enclosure. The zoo has been closed while authorities investigate the incident. pic.twitter.com/jH9ijtEzJy
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 1, 2025
Zoo staff and security sprinted to help, but they couldn’t save him. He died right there in the enclosure.
Afterward, the zoo closed its doors to the public—no one knows when they’ll reopen. Local officials insisted they follow strict safety rules, and now they’re digging into exactly how this happened and what else they need to do to keep people safe.
Online, the footage set off a storm. People keep asking: Why did he go in? What more could the zoo have done? Can anything really stop someone determined to cross a line like that?
In João Pessoa, the shock hasn’t worn off. What started as a normal day at the zoo turned into a nightmare one the city isn’t likely to forget.
