A man in southern Iraq was mauled and partially eaten by a lion he had recently purchased to keep as a pet in his backyard.
The fatal attack occurred on Thursday, May 8, in the city of Kufa, Najaf. According to Najaf Police spokesperson Mufid Tahir, the victim was immediately killed when the lion turned on him. “Today in a garden in the city of Kufa, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,” Tahir told local outlet Rudaw.
The lion, which reportedly consumed much of the man’s body, had to be put down after it refused to leave the remains.
The victim, identified as 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, had reportedly kept wild animals—including lions—in his garden for years. However, this particular lion was a new addition, purchased just days before the deadly attack.
According to local reports, the lion suddenly launched a vicious assault on al-Din, mauling him to death before beginning to eat his body. A neighbor, witnessing the horror, used a Kalashnikov rifle to shoot and kill the animal, firing seven rounds to stop it.
Al-Din was transported to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf, but doctors were unable to save him due to the severity of his injuries.
Graphic images from the scene show the bloodied victim on a hospital bed, and authorities have launched an official investigation into the incident.
Footage circulating on social media shows the dead lion lying in the garden, prompting renewed public concern about the legality and safety of keeping wild animals as pets.
