A tragic and horrifying incident unfolded last Thursday when a 50-year-old man, Aqil Fakhr al-Din, was mauled and eaten by his newly acquired pet lion, just days after purchasing the animal.

According to reports, the brutal attack occurred in the garden of al-Din’s home in the city of Kufa. The lion devoured most of his body before it was shot and killed by a neighbor.

Al-Din, who had a history of keeping lions and other wild animals in his garden, had bought this particular lion earlier in the month with the intention of taming it. But the effort ended fatally.

“The wildcat pounced on al-Din and bit his neck and chest while he approached its cage,” a source told Al-Ghad newspaper.

Hearing al-Din’s desperate screams, a neighbor rushed in with a Kalashnikov rifle and opened fire, hitting the lion seven times. The animal was killed on the spot, as confirmed by Shafaq News Agency. Footage later circulated on social media showed the lion lying in a pool of blood with cages visible in the background.

Al-Din’s body was retrieved and transported to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf. Authorities have since launched a police investigation into the incident.

“The lion was put down by the authorities because it refused to leave the remains,” the local police told the Rudaw news network.