Zookeeper mauled to death by lions in front of visitors at Thailand safari park

A longtime zookeeper in Thailand was mauled to death by a pack of lions in front of tourists at Safari World Bangkok.

The fatal attack took place on Sept. 10 at about 11 a.m. local time when an employee stepped out of his vehicle. He was mauled for about 15 minutes, according to Thai News Agency.

Sadudee Punpugdee, wildlife protection director of the Department of National Parks, told AFP that the employee, identified as Jian Rangkarassamee, 58, was “a zoo staff member who usually fed the lions.”

Punpugdee added that the staff member was “mauled by six or seven of the big cats when he stepped out of his car.”

An autopsy found that Rangkarassamee suffered multiple deep lacerations, a broken neck and ruptured arteries.

The zoo has now temporarily closed its predator zone, where the lions were kept, and the lions have been confined to cages for close monitoring, according to CBS News. The zoo has also closed off its big cat section until repairs and improvements are completed.

The Department of National Parks’ (DNP) wildlife conservation director, Chalerm Poommai, shared inspection results with AFP on Friday, revealing that there were damaged fences, inadequate warning signs and not enough CCTV cameras on-site.

Poommai also revealed that the zoo’s permit expired last October and is still awaiting renewal.

“The zoo needs to meet safety standards to prevent such an incident from happening again,” he said.

After the attack, Safari World Bangkok said it would “urgently investigate and strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents.”

“The company places the highest importance on the safety of all tourists and employees, emphasizing the importance of not getting out of the vehicle while visiting the open zoo, especially in the wild animal zone,” the park said in a Facebook post.

Edwin Wiek, from Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), said the group would like to “express our sincere condolences to the deceased animal keeper.”

“This incident should serve as a stark reminder that these animals, even when raised by humans from birth, still pose a serious threat to human life that can be triggered without warning,” Wiek wrote in a statement on Facebook.

WFFT also called on Thai authorities to “prohibit the uncontrolled breeding of lions by anyone other than licensed zoos, and to ban the keeping of lions and other dangerous species by private individuals in homes, coffee shops, entertainment venues, and other public places.”

World Animal Protection Thailand called for Safari World to “relocate the lions, who have done nothing wrong other than exhibit their natural behaviors, to a sanctuary.”

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“Forcing apex predators like lions to perform puts both people and animals to unacceptable risks. It is important to recognize that lions and other wild animals retain their natural instincts and defensive behaviors. For them, these are normal, but for humans the consequences are deadly,” the group wrote in a statement.

The statement went on to say that research shows that “the captive lion population in Thailand has increased from 131 in 2018 to 444 in 2024,” an “alarming” growth of 239 per cent in just six years.

“Even more concerning, private ownership of lions has reportedly surged by over 1,300%. This raises grave welfare and safety risks, alongside links to illegal wildlife trade,” they added.

Safari World Bangkok claims to be one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos, where visitors can explore the wildlife sanctuary by car or on foot, according to its website. It’s also known for its staged shows, including hula-hooping elephants, synchronized swimming dolphins and kickboxing orangutans.

The incident at Safari World Bangkok marks the second fatal animal attack at a Thai wildlife park this year.

Earlier this year, a 22-year-old tourist was killed by an elephant at a sanctuary after the animal turned on her while she was bathing it.

Spanish newspapers El Mundo and El Pais reported that Blanca Ojanguren García, from Spain, was bathing an elephant alongside her boyfriend at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre on Jan. 3, when the elephant attacked her.

She was rushed to a local hospital, where she died.