Man Seriously Hurt After Lion Attack At Zoo

A man is in a serious condition in hospital after being mauled by three lions in an enclosure at Barcelona Zoo.

Police officers and firefighters used hoses and fire extinguishers to distance the animals from the man, a 45-year-old Spanish national.

A witness told La Vanguardia newspaper that the man, who works as a police officer, willingly entered the lion enclosure and began walking around.

He was then attacked by three lions, who dragged him into a service tunnel within the enclosure.

A statement from the city government said the man was removed from the enclosure by the emergency services around 30 minutes after he had entered.

The man was wearing military clothing and was carrying a rucksack.

He is currently in a serious, but not life-threatening, condition at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in the city.

La Vanguardia reports the man has previously protested against abortion by clinging to La Pedrera, a modernist building in Barcelona.

In September, he was arrested for burning the Catalan flag at the statue of Rafael Casanovas, the commander in chief of Catalonia during the Siege of Barcelona in the 18th century, the paper added.