A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkey

A lion escaped a zoo in southern Turkey and seriously injured a man who fought it off

ISTANBUL -- A man was seriously injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkey on Sunday, local media reported. The lion was later shot dead.

The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast, in the early hours, the private Demiroren News Agency said. A few hours later, he attacked a 53-year-old man as he slept outdoors.

“I heard a whispering sound. When I lifted the blanket, the lion fell on me,” Suleyman Kir told the agency. “We struggled and fought. ... I grabbed his neck and squeezed. At that moment, he ran off a little.”

Kir was hospitalized with wounds to his head and shoulder. Police teams and drones found the lion by nearby hotels.

Land of Lions’ website boasts that the park holds “the world’s largest lion family” of more than 30 animals. It also contains tigers, bears and wolves.

It wasn't clear how the lion escaped. The zoo did not comment on Sunday.