‘We left traumatised’: Screaming monkey torn apart by lions in front of families at Scottish safari park

Keeper attempted in vain to save life of endangered Barbary macaque

Big cats leapt on endangered Barbary macaque (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A Scottish safari park has apologised after visiting families witnessed lions hunt down and tear apart a monkey.

Parents and children watched in horror as the endangered Barbary macaque was seized upon by the pride of lions at Blair Drummond safari park, near Stirling.

The primate had escaped its own reserve and climbed into the lions’ section of the park.

“We could not believe what we were seeing – it’s not what you expect at a safari park. We left pretty traumatised,” one witness told the Mail on Sunday.

“Surely it’s the park’s responsibility to keep endangered animals safe and not allow them to jump straight in the lion’s den? The awful sound of the monkey screaming for its life will stay with us.

“We had hoped for a happy day out with our young child but ended up having to explain to a toddler what happened to the monkey.”

Another told the Daily Record the large monkey was “surprisingly fast” but that it “didn’t stand a chance”.

A keeper was said to have attempted to protect the wounded monkey by parking his vehicle over its body, but a lion managed to grab the animal from beneath the undercarriage before running off with it between its jaws.

A spokesperson for Blair Drummond said: “We are truly sorry that our visitors witnessed what must have been a really distressing sight.

“This tragic event is being felt deeply by the teams involved who care for animals around the clock. We are taking this extremely seriously. The safety of our visitors and the safety and care of our animals is our highest priority.

“The incident in the lion enclosure has never happened before and we share the shock and concern that this took place.”