After 5 lions, they kill Zookeeper in Thailand, scrutiny in Safari Park

A Thai zoo has temporarily closed its predator area after The lions killed a zoo until deathWildlife officials said on Friday, as the scrutiny in the animal treatment of the park intensified.

Safari World, who states that on its website is one of the largest outdoor zoos in Asia, is controversial for its shows staged with Kickboxing orangutans and Hula-Houoping elephants.

On Wednesday, a herd of lions mutilated the death of the Zookeeper, Jian Rangkarassamee, 58, when he left his vehicle, authorities said.

An autopsy discovered that he suffered multiple deep lacerations, a broken neck and broken arteries.

The five lions, apparently led by a 10 -year -old man named Trump, have limited themselves to cages for nearby monitoring, and the park has closed its large cat section until repairs and improvements are completed.

The director of Wildlife Conservation of the Department of National Parks (DNP), Chalerm Poommai, told News Friday that an inspection found damaged fences, inappropriate warning signs and very few CCTV cameras.

The zoo’s permit, which expired in October last year, is still waiting for renewal, he added.

“The zoo must comply with security standards to prevent such an incident,” he said, but added that the Wildlife instinct of the lions “cannot be erased.”

A World Safari representative said that on Friday other parts of the zoo remain open and are safe for visitors, but refused to make more comments.

In a Facebook post, Safari World Bangkok said: “He will investigate and strengthen security measures to avoid similar incidents again.”

“The company gives the greatest importance to the safety of all tourists and employees, emphasizing the importance of not leaving the vehicle while visiting the open zoo, especially in the wild animal area,” said the park.

The Safari World website says that “visitors can approach wild animals such as tigers, lions, bears and zebras freely wandering in their natural habitats.” Last month, Safari World announced the opening of a new lion den, calling it “a truly special experience for everyone in the family with the feeding activity of lions.”

The conservationists have accused the zoo of exploiting more than one hundred orangutans forced to perform kickboxing matches, with Indonesian forestry officials who claim that the primates were introduced to smuggling in Thailand by sea.

Following the attack, animal welfare groups Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (Wfft) and people for the ethical treatment of animals (PETA) issued statements that requested stricter controls about the property of wildlife in the kingdom.

The ownership of the lions is legal in Thailand, where the captive population has increased in recent years, with almost 500 registered in zoos, breeding offspring, coffee shops and private homes.

The founder of Wfft Edwin Wiek asked the authorities to impose a “complete stop to private property of dangerous animals” such as lions.

“If this incident can occur in a zoo with security patterns, imagine what could happen in someone’s backyard,” he said.

Sadudee Punpugdee, director of Wildlife Protection of the DNP, said that zookeepers is advised to transport defensive equipment such as electrical canes or high pressure hoses, and work in pairs under a mandatory “system of friends”.

He added that DNP officials will inspect other zoos and owners of private lions throughout the country to ensure that the standards are met.

The incident marked at least the second attack of fatal animals in a park in Thailand this year. In January, an elephant killed a Spanish tourist While he was bathing the animal in a sanctuary in southern Thailand.

Fatal lion attacks in zoos are extremely rare, but this marks the second incident of this type in less than a year. Last October, a group of lions He caught a zoo Until death in Crimea after a door inside its enclosure was unlocked.

• Thailand