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A farmer in southern Turkey was seriously injured after he was attacked by a lion that had escaped from a zoo, local media reported.
The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast, early Sunday morning, the private Demiroren News Agency reported. A few hours later, the animal attacked the 53-year-old farmer, 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. It was killed.
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
This is the latest lion attack in recent days.
On Thursday, an escaped pet lion chased a woman and two children down a busy street in Pakistan.
CCTV footage released by the police showed the lion jumping the barrier around its home and pursuing a woman on Thursday night. The lion jumped on her back, knocking her to the ground, the footage showed. All three were taken to a hospital but were not in a critical condition.
