Zookeeper eaten alive by lions after he went into their cage 'to impress his girlfriend'

 

Zookeeper eaten alive by lions after he went into their cage 'to impress his girlfriend'

A shocking video shows the moment a zookeeper is fatally attacked and eaten alive by lions after going inside their cage to 'impress his girlfriend'.
The guard, named as F. Iriskulov, 44, unknowingly caught his final moments on camera as he filmed himself entering the lions' cage before being mauled.

The footage shows him unlocking a padlock to the enclosure where he works at a private zoo in Parkent, Uzbekistan at 5am on December 17 during his night shift.

The three beasts appear passive at first, sitting calmly in the far corner of the enclosure. 
Suddenly, the beast springs up and the man steps back in evident surprise before the animals approach him slowly.
He repeatedly calls the name of one of the lions: 'Simba,' before telling the animal: 'Simba, be quiet.'

He seemingly recorded the video to send to his girlfriend, defiantly flipping the camera to show his face as he is surrounded by the lions.

The keeper even pets one of the animals as it gets concerningly close to him, suggesting they are familiar with each other.

But immediately after he touches the animal's mane, in an apparent sign of the horrors to come, the lion licks its lips and the man appears to momentarily retreat towards the metal gate.

The three beasts appear passive at first, sitting calmly in the far corner of the enclosure