'Lion whisperer' left fighting for his life after vicious attack by lion he previously fought to save

A man dubbed the 'lion whisperer' has been left fighting for his life after being brutally attacked by one of the big cats at his safari park.

Russian businessman Oleg Zubkov has earned himself a reputation as an 'animal genius', boasting the ability to freely walk among lions and even allowing visitors to his zoos to do the same.

However, the 57-year-old tragically came face-to-face with the terrifyingly unpredictable nature of the predatory animals after he was savagely mauled by a lion while inside the enclosure.

The horrifying attack took place at Taigan Safari Park in Belogorsk, Russian-annexed Crimea, a park which is owned by Zubkov.

It's understood that Zubkov had been inside the enclosure alongside the 'restless' lions during feeding time when one of the creatures brutally attacked him.

Russian man Oleg Zubkov has earned a reputation as the 'lion whisperer' (East2West)

"There was terrible panic... the lion dragged the man by the neck like a toy," one witness recalled of the horrifying incident.

After the animal clamped its jaws around Zubkov it dragged him under a viewing platform, a bridge which is situated over the enclosure.

READ MORE

'LION MAN' WHO TREATED HIS BIG CATS LIKE HIS CHILDREN KILLED BY THEM

MAN KILLED BY LION AFTER JUMPING IN ENCLOSURE TRYING TO TAKE SELFIE

"When he approached one of the lions, which was eating meat, it went for him him, right in the neck, and knocked him down," blogger and witness Sergei Marchenko said.

Park employee Tatyana Aleksagina then risked her own life in an attempt to rescue her colleague. The 58-year-old attempted to distract the lion by driving up to the enclosure in a park buggy before chucking a bucket at the lion, causing it to release Zubkov from its jaws.

A park visitor then bravely climbed into the enclosure to assist with the rescue, with another witness noting: "He dragged [Zubkov] to the buggy, laid him down and climbed back up out of danger."

He is said to have suffered serious head, neck and lung wounds (East2West)

Zubkov was then transferred to hospital for emergency surgery, with a park source adding that doctors were doing 'everything possible and impossible' to save the businessman's life.

He is said to have suffered serious head, neck and lung wounds.

"It is very difficult for his family right now. It is such a shock, like a bolt from the blue. We are all praying for Oleg's health and speedy recovery," the source added.

Perhaps even more disturbing are the reports that the lion responsible for attacking Zubkov was one which he had previously saved from death, after it mauled a colleague in 2024.

The lion which attacked Zubkov had reportedly killed another member of staff at the park (East2West)

Experienced big cat expert Leokadiya Perevalova had been fatally attacked by the animal after 'failing' to close the security gate, an action which Zubkov referred to as a 'mistake' at the time.

"Lions are top predators and they do not forgive mistakes," he said at the time.

There have also been reports of animal attacks on visitors at the park, with a tiger ripping off the thumb of a one-year-old boy in 2021, after his mother held him too close to the enclosure.