Lion Kills Man Who Breached Zoo Enclosure To Steal Rare White Cubs

A lion at Ghana’s Accra Zoo killed an intruder who climbed a fence and allegedly attempted to steal two rare white cubs, officials said.

At security guards on patrol at the zoo noticed that the middle-aged victim and entered the enclosure

According to reports, the attack happened at around noon local time on Sunday, Aug. 28, when the man, described as middle-aged, climbed into a zoo enclosure housing a lion, a lioness and two cubs.

Authorities said the intruder had scaled a 10-foot fence before climbing over another 20-foot one to enter the lions' enclosure

"The intruder was attacked and injured by one of the lions," Ghana’s state Forestry Commission said in a statement, adding that the unidentified man had died from injuries he sustained in the attack.

An exact motive behind the breach remains unclear, but Wildlife authorities suspect that the intruder may have been after the two rare white lion cubs in the enclosure.

The cubs have been drawing large crowds of spectators since their birth last November, reported BBC. They are considered rare — and especially valuable to poachers — because of their unusual light coloring.

"The lions have cubs so if you come too close they may feel you are trying to take away their babies," Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu Bio told reporters.

"We ask the public to desist from doing anything like this," he added.

The intruder’s body was removed from the lions’ enclosure and transported to the local morgue for an autopsy, according to the local outlet 3NewsGH.

"The police are working with the management of the zoo and the forestry commission to get to the bottom of this unfortunate incident," the Accra Police Service stated.

Authorities confirmed that none of the big cats escaped during the incident and the enclosure is now secure.

The zoo remained temporarily closed to the public in the wake of the incident but has since reopened, reports said.

According to the Global White Lion Protection Trust, there are only about a dozen white lions in the wild.