Safari worker’s remains found in lion enclosure of Pakistan park

LAHORE, Pakistan – The remains of a teenaged safari worker were found Wednesday, February 26, in the lion enclosure at an animal park in the Pakistani city of Lahore, an official said.

The boy, Muhammad Bilal, aged 17 or 18, had gone missing two days earlier, said Chaudhry Shafqat, deputy director of the Lahore Safari Park.

“We found his clothes in the lion enclosure and then later came across the skull and bones when workers went to feed the animals,” Shafqat told AFP.

Shafqat added that it was unclear how Bilal ended up in the lion enclosure, noting that a criminal investigation was underway.

“There is a safety fence in place, but that is to keep the animals in their enclosures,” he said.

“People come in vehicles all the time and we haven’t had such an incident before.”

Bilal had done odd jobs around the park, Shafqat said, and his parents had come to the facility to raise the alarm after he went missing Monday, February 24.

A local police official, Saqlain Shah, said investigators were reviewing camera footage given to them by the park administrators to find out exactly what happened to him. – Rappler.com