Man who jumped into Barcelona Zoo lion enclosure remains in critical state

A man who jumped into the lions’ enclosure at Barcelona Zoo remained in critical condition on Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Justo José M. P. was mauled by three lions after climbing the security railings, scaling down the wall and being dragged into a tunnel by the animals on Sunday, according to several eyewitnesses.

Zoo workers, firefighters and local police officers used power hoses to keep the lions at bay as they went in to rescue the victim, who was dressed in military attire.

The victim had already staged a number of one-man protests throughout Barcelona

He was taken to Vall d’Hebron Hospital with bites and scratches all over his body, the spokeswoman said.

The victim, who is a Spanish citizen aged around 45, has already staged a number of one-man protests throughout Barcelona.

On November 23 he was arrested for hanging two swastikas from the famous Antoni Gaudí-designed La Pedrera building, in what he claimed was an anti-abortion protest. One of the signs read “Abortion murder.” The other read: “40,000 children. Hitler [was an] amateur.”

Earlier, on September 11, he burnt an estelada – an unofficial flag flown by Catalan secessionists – in front of a public monument, and on November 4 he attempted to enter the headquarters of the regional government with a sign about officials accepting bribes.

Justo José M. P. is a local policeman from the town of Gelida, Barcelona province, who is currently on leave, news agency Efe reported.

The Sunday incident was no accident, and Justo José M. P. reportedly had a sign inside his backpack that he planned to unfurl inside the lions’ enclosure.

“In order to fall in here, you need to enter [the enclosure],” a spokesman for the Barcelona firefighting service said. “This person meant to enter.”