Tragic zookeeper films being eaten alive by lions after entering their cage ‘to impress his girlfriend’

A shocking video shows the moment a zookeeper was fatally attacked and eaten alive by lions after entering their cage to ‘impress his girlfriend’.

The guard, named F. Iriskulov, 44, unknowingly captured his last moments on camera as he filmed himself entering the lion’s cage before being mauled.

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

The three animals initially seem passive and sit quietly in the farthest corner of the enclosure.

Suddenly the animal jumps up and the man steps back in apparent surprise before the animals slowly approach him.

He repeatedly calls out the name of one of the lions, “Simba,” before telling the animal, “Simba, be quiet.”

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

The keeper even pets one of the animals when it gets too close, indicating that they know each other.

But immediately after touching the animal’s mane, in a clear sign of the horrors to come, the lion licks his lips and the man appears to momentarily retreat toward the metal fence.

The keeper pets one of the animals as it comes particularly close to him during the video

The 44-year-old apparently recorded the video to send to his girlfriend, turning the camera around to show his face while surrounded by the lions

The lions begin stalking around the guard, who seems unaware of the danger they pose to him

Then, just two minutes after unlocking the door and entering the cage, the video takes a harrowing turn, with one of the lions launching an attack on the unassuming keeper.

He lets out piercing screams as he is overwhelmed by the animals, his camera still rolling.

The video goes dark, but the chilling sound of his screams continues as he continues to plead, “Be quiet, be quiet….”

The statues are then taken down, but reports say the lions then devoured the guard.

According to Russian media reports, the beasts “ripped the skin off the guard’s face.”

Rescuers tranquilized two of the lions and shot the third after the fatal attack.

An official statement said: “The lions killed him and partially ate his body.”

The man’s remains were only found by other zoo staff four hours after the attack, it was revealed.

Horrific images, too graphic to publish, show what was left of the man’s bloodied body.

The zookeeper is seen in a photo on social media posing with a lion cub

Uzbek media reported at the time that the man was mauled by the three African lions after their cage was accidentally left open, allowing the animals to get out of their cage and into the courtyard outside.

Authorities launched an investigation into the incident at the time, with all of the animals’ enclosures checked and secured.

‘As a result of the measures taken, the lions have been placed back in a special cage. No other people in the area were injured. There is currently no danger to the local population,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Mr Iriskulov had earlier shared photos on social media of him posing with a lion cub at the wildlife park.

According to local media, the zoo is home to ten adult African lions, five lion cubs, a brown bear, an eagle, a cheetah and other non-predatory mammals and birds.

The park has been open since June 2019 and is located on just over two hectares of land.