Man killed by ‘pet lion’ in Najaf’s Kufa

NAJAF — A man in the Al-Barakiya neighborhood of Kufa district was killed Thursday after being mauled by a lion he was keeping in his garden, a medical source at Al-Sadr Hospital told 964media.

“The lion attacked the victim and placed his head between its jaws. His injuries were severe, and he died instantly,” the source said.

The man’s friend attempted to intervene using a Kalashnikov rifle, fatally shooting the animal. “He managed to kill the lion, but his intervention came too late,” the source added.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.