In a horrific incident, a pride of lions killed an endangered monkey in a Scottish safari park. The incident happened in front of visitors which included children. As per reports, the Barbary macaque escaped from its own reserve and climbed into the lions’ den. As the lions attacked, its screams could be heard across the Blair Drummond Safari Park. As people watched the wild animals tore down the neck and limbs of the monkey. An investigation has been launched into the incident. Komodo Dragon Eats a Whole Monkey Within Seconds! Terrifying Footage From Indonesia Goes Viral.

And when a park's keepers tried to protect the injured monkey by parking his pick-up truck over its body, a lion snatched it from under the vehicle and ran away with it. Later the macaque's body was recovered by the safari park staff. The park is one of Scotland's busiest tourist attractions. An eyewitness was quoted as saying, "We left pretty traumatised. Of course you are dealing with wild animals which act out of instinct, but surely it’s the park’s responsibility to keep endangered animals safe and not allow them to jump straight in the lions’ den?"

The monkey that died was one of 30 brought to Blair Drummond’s five-acre drive-through monkey reserve from Gibraltar in 2014 for conservation and breeding. The species is listed as endangered due to hunting, habitat destruction and illegal pet trade. There are estimated 8,000 of them left in the wild. Python Eats a Crocodile! Photographer Captures Incredible Pictures of the Attack in Queensland, Australia (View Pics)

A spokesman for Blair Drummond, near Stirling, was quoted as saying, "We are sorry our visitors witnessed what must have been a distressing sight. This tragic event is being felt deeply by the teams involved. We are taking this extremely seriously. The safety of our visitors and the care of our animals is our highest priority." The person added, "The incident in the lion enclosure has never happened before and we share the shock and concern that this took place."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2020 04:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).