A MAN has been left with serious injuries after jumping into a lion enclosure at a Barcelona zoo where he was mauled by three of the animals.

    Dressed in military uniform, the man climbed over railings and began scaling one of the walls in the enclosure before being picked off by one of the animals and thrown into a pit.

    The 45-year-old was rescued around 30 minutes later covered in scratches and bite marks. He was taken to the city’s Hospital de la Vall D’Hebron where he remains in a serious but not life-threatening condition.

    It is not known whether the incident at the zoo was a demonstration. While he emerged from the enclosure covered in bite marks and scratches, zoo keepers have insisted the lions were merely trying to play with him, Spanish media reported.

    (SD-Agencies)