Missing teenager’s remains found in lion enclosure at safari park

A missing teenager’s remains have been discovered in an area of a safari park in Pakistan containing lions.

Staff feeding the animals stumbled across a skull and bones belonging to 18-year-old Muhammad Bilal on Wednesday, according to a park official.

“We are still wondering how he crossed the protective fence which is quite high and entered the lions‘ field,” Chaudhry Shafqat from Lahore Safari Park said.

The teenager had been missing for two days before his remains were found.

Police said Mr Bilal’s family have attacked offices and smashed windows at the attraction after accusing the park’s authorities of failings.

Mr Shafqat, the safari park’s deputy director general, claimed the site had “more than enough safety measures in place”.

He said an enquiry into Mr Bilal's death might explore the possibility the teenager had been killed outside the boundaries of the enclosure.

“I think the police will also investigate whether the man himself climbed the fence and went inside or someone threw his dead body inside for the lions to eat,” the park official said.

Mr Shafqat said the teenager’s family told him and the police that the 18-year-old had visited the park to see an uncle who worked there.

Police have launched an investigation into Mr Bilal’s death, according to Najeeb Awan, a police official.

He said that Mr Bilal’s family had blocked a main road and demanded the government take the park’s management to court.

They have also attacked areas of the site, he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters