Latest news with #LandofLions
The National
07-07-2025
- The National
Escaped lion shot dead in Turkey after attacking worker
A lion which escaped from a theme park near the Turkish resort of Antalya was shot dead on Sunday after attacking a man, the local governor and media reports said. The lion, reportedly named Zeus, escaped his enclosure at the Land of Lions animal theme park in Manavgat, about 60km west of Antalya in the early hours, the governor said. According to BirGun newspaper, the lion then attacked Suleiman Kir, an agricultural worker, who was asleep in a pistachio field with his wife. Mr Kir then tussled with the lion before it ran off. He was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. "We were covered with blankets to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and when the prayer call sounded, I tried to stand up but I couldn't," he said. "Suddenly I felt something touch my left foot and when I eventually managed to get up, I saw it was something huge – I thought it was a dog." In a video posted online, he described the moments wrestling with the lion. "We called for help but there was no one around. As the lion was biting my calf and my neck, I grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze and he backed off. At that moment, the security forces came," he said. "If I had not been strong, I wouldn't be here right now." Antalya's governor said the lion had been tracked down and shot dead. "It was not possible to catch the escaped lion alive because it posed a danger to people and the environment so it was shot," he said, indicating that an investigation had been opened into the incident. BirGun said there were about 30 big cats at the Land of Lions.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- The Guardian
Lion's owners arrested after woman and children injured in attack in Pakistan
The owners of a pet lion that escaped from a farmhouse and injured a woman and her two children have been arrested in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, authorities said on Sunday. The arrest came after dramatic video footage emerged showing the lion leaping over a wall before attacking the victims in a residential area. Faisal Kamran, a police official, said the woman and her five- and seven-year-old children sustained injuries to their faces and arms on Wednesday night when the lion escaped from its cage. According to a police report, the children's father said the lion's owners had stood by and watched as the animal clawed at his family, making no effort to restrain it. The lion later returned to the owners' farmhouse and was relocated to a wildlife park, police said. Keeping exotic animals such as lions is considered a status symbol by some wealthy Pakistanis, despite the legal requirements and high fees associated with ownership. In Turkey, a lion that escaped from a theme park near the resort of Antalya was shot dead on Sunday after attacking a man, the local governor and media reports said. The lion, reportedly named Zeus, escaped his enclosure at the Land of Lions animal theme park in Manavgat, about 40 miles (65km) east of Antalya, in the early hours of the morning, the local governor said in a statement. According to the BirGün newspaper, the lion attacked an agricultural worker called Suleiman Kir who was asleep in a pistachio field with his wife. Kir tussled with the lion before it ran off. He was injured but not badly and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. 'We were covered with blankets to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and when the prayer call sounded, I tried to stand up but I couldn't,' he told the newspaper. 'Suddenly I felt something touch my left foot and when I eventually managed to get up, I saw it was something huge – I thought it was a dog.' In a video posted online, he described the moments wrestling with the lion. 'We called for help but there was no one around. As the lion was biting my calf and my neck, I grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze, and he backed off. At that moment, the security forces came,' he said. 'If I had not been strong, I wouldn't be here right now.' Antalya's governor said in a statement that the lion had been tracked down and shot dead. 'It was not possible to catch the escaped lion alive because it posed a danger to people and the environment, so it was shot,' he said, indicating that an investigation had been opened into the incident. BirGün said there were about 30 big cats at the Land of Lions.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Escaped lion shot dead in Turkey after attacking worker
A lion which escaped from a theme park near the Turkish resort of Antalya was shot dead on Sunday after attacking a man, the local governor and media reports said. The lion, reportedly named Zeus, escaped his enclosure at the Land of Lions animal theme park in Manavgat, some 60 kilometres west of Antalya in the early hours of the morning, the local governor said in a statement. According to BirGun newspaper, the lion then attacked an agricultural worker called Suleiman Kir who was asleep in a pistachio field with his wife. Kir then tussled with the lion before it ran off. He was injured but not badly and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. "We were covered with blankets to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and when the prayer call sounded, I tried to stand up but I couldn't," he told the newspaper. "Suddenly I felt something touch my left foot and when I eventually managed to get up, I saw it was something huge -- I thought it was a dog." In a video posted online, he described the moments wrestling with the lion. "We called for help but there was no-one around. As the lion was biting my calf and my neck, I grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze, and he backed off. At that moment, the security forces came," he said. "If I had not been strong, I wouldn't be here right now." Antalya's governor said in a statement that the lion had been tracked down and shot dead. "It was not possible to catch the escaped lion alive because it posed a danger to people and the environment so it was shot," he said, indicating that an investigation had been opened into the incident. BirGun newspaper said there were around 30 big cats at the Land of Lions. hmw/bc
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkey
ISTANBUL (AP) — A farmer was seriously injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkey on Sunday, local media reported. The lion was later shot dead. The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast, in the early hours, the private Demiroren News Agency said. A few hours later, he attacked the 53-year-old man, who was sleeping outdoors after watering pistachio trees. 'I heard a whispering sound. When I lifted the blanket, the lion fell on me,' Suleyman Kir told the agency. 'We struggled and fought. ... I grabbed his neck and squeezed. At that moment, he ran off a little.' The Ilhas News Agency reported that police officers searching for the lion heard the noise of the struggle and scared it off by shooting into the air. Ilhas also showed footage of the lion strolling outside homes before disappearing into scrubland. Kir was hospitalized with wounds to his head, shoulder and legs. Police teams and drones found the lion in a nearby wooded area. Land of Lions' website boasts that the park holds 'the world's largest lion family' of more than 30 animals. It also contains tigers, bears and wolves. It wasn't clear how the lion escaped but an investigation has been launched. The zoo did not comment on Sunday.
Al Arabiya
06-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Lion escapes zoo in southern Turkey, farmer who fought it off seriously injured
A farmer was seriously injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkey on Sunday, local media reported. The lion was later shot dead. The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast, in the early hours, the private Demiroren News Agency said. A few hours later, he attacked the 53-year-old man, who was sleeping outdoors after watering pistachio trees. 'I heard a whispering sound. When I lifted the blanket, the lion fell on me,' Suleyman Kir told the agency. 'We struggled and fought. ... I grabbed his neck and squeezed. At that moment, he ran off a little.' The Ilhas News Agency reported that police officers searching for the lion heard the noise of the struggle and scared it off by shooting into the air. Ilhas also showed footage of the lion strolling outside homes before disappearing into scrubland. Kir was hospitalized with wounds to his head, shoulder and legs. Police teams and drones found the lion in a nearby wooded area. Land of Lions' website boasts that the park holds 'the world's largest lion family' of more than 30 animals. It also contains tigers, bears and wolves. It wasn't clear how the lion escaped but an investigation has been launched. The zoo did not comment on Sunday.
