Naked man jumps into lion enclosure, only survives when animals are shot dead

Two lions were shot dead at Santiago National Zoo in Chile after a man stripped naked and entered their enclosure in an apparent suicide bid.

Horrified visitors watched as 20-year-old Franco Luis Ferrada jumped into the pen and taunted the male and female lions into attacking him on Saturday morning.

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Zookeepers turned a hose on the animals, then fired a tranquiliser dart but hit the man in the neck instead of the lions, the Guardian reports.

They then opened fire with live rounds, killing the big cats in front of a large crowd of tourists.

Ferrada was taken to a local health clinic and remains in a critical condition.

The Huffington Post reports that Santiago Police said he left behind what appeared to be a suicide note.

Sub-commissioner Gerson Sepulveda said: "We are comparing it with other (writing samples)."

The zoo was condemned by many for killing the animals but zoo director Alejandra Montalva defended her staff's actions, saying followed the "established protocol".

She added: "When a person's life is at risk, you have to sacrifice the animals. The shooter decided to save the life of the person and unfortunately we had to sacrifice two members of our family."

The lions had been residents at the zoo for more than 20 years. Dozens of people arrived at the zoo on Saturday night to hold a candlelight vigil for the dead animals.