Archive · 2 Dec 2025
Teenager Killed by Lioness at Brazilian Zoo
A young man named Gerson de Melo Machado loved animals, especially lions.
He wanted to work with them so much that he climbed into a lion's area at a zoo.
A lioness named Leona attacked him, and he sadly didn't survive.
Gerson had some mental health problems and had tried to go to Africa to work with lions before.
The zoo is checking to make sure everything is safe, and Leona the lioness is being watched but won't be hurt.
A 19-year-old Brazilian teenager, Gerson de Melo Machado, was fatally attacked by a lioness at Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara in Joao Pessoa.
Machado climbed over a 20-foot wall and security fencing to enter the lion's enclosure.
The incident was witnessed by horrified zoo visitors and captured on camera, which was shared on social media.
Despite rescue efforts, Machado succumbed to his injuries.
The zoo was temporarily closed for investigation, and the lioness, Leona, will not be euthanized as she is healthy and not aggressive outside this incident.
- Who
- Gerson de Melo Machado, a 19-year-old Brazilian teenager
- What
- Was mauled to death by a lioness at a zoo
- When
- Sunday
- Where
- Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara in Joao Pessoa, Brazil
- Why
- He climbed over a 20-foot wall and security fencing to enter the lion's enclosure
- Victim's Name
- Gerson de Melo Machado
- Victim's Age
- 19
- Location
- Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
- Date of Incident
- Sunday
- Lioness's Name
- Leona
- Zoo's Action
- Temporarily closed for investigation
- Lioness's Status
- Under observation, not euthanized