A Japanese zookeeper died after being attacked by a lion while feeding it.
Kenichi Kato, 53, was found unconscious and bleeding from the neck in the lion enclosure at Tohoku Safari Park in the Fukushima region on Thursday.
His colleagues said he was trying to lure the lion into the cage with food at the time of the attack.
He entered an area separated from the main lion enclosure through a gate, which could not be locked.
Norichika Kumakubo, vice president of the park, said:
“This process includes opening the door and ordering food. After placing food, the door must be closed and locked.
But “at that moment, the door was open,” he added.
Kato was described as a beloved veteran of the zoo who worked there for 27 years and had experience with dangerous animals such as lions, tigers and bears.
Kumakubo added that “We deeply apologize to Mr. Kato and his family.
“We take this extremely seriously. We will take measures to prevent similar accidents.