Overview
- Authorities say the man deliberately scaled a six-meter wall and security barriers to enter the lioness enclosure at Parque Zoobotanico Arruda Câmara in João Pessoa on November 30.
- Police homicide deputy Josenise de Andrade told Brazilian media the youth did not intend self-harm and wanted to get close to the animals.
- The victim was identified as Gerson de Melo Machado, 19, who had escaped from a care facility and had a documented history of psychological disorders.
- The municipality opened an investigation and the zoo remains closed for procedures as officials review safeguards, with the zoo stating its barriers exceed requirements, including a wall two meters higher than the minimum.
- A veterinarian reported the lioness was stressed, was briefly isolated, then returned to her habitat without tranquilizers, and the zoo says she will not be euthanized.