A 20-year-old man took off his clothes and broke into a lion enclosure at Santiago zoo, where he was mauled by lions.
Santiago authorities confirmed the two beasts were killed as they mauled the 20-year-old who had broken into their compound early on Saturday.
The man, who has not been named, was accidently hit with a tranquiliser as zookeepers frantically tried to put the lions to sleep.
He taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and was said to be in a "grave" condition.
Director of the city's Metropolitan Zoo Alejandra Montalba said the park was crowded with visitors at the time of the incident.
The young man broke into the enclosure, took off his clothes and jumped into the middle shocking families who witnessed the attack.
"The zoo has an established protocol because people's lives are very important to us," said Montalba.
She added that there were no fast-acting tranquilizers available to stop the lions quickly.
The zoo director said she was 'deeply affected' by the deaths of the two lions, a male and a female.
A suicide note was reportedly later found in the man's clothing.
Witness reported he shouted religious statements as he was mauled.
"Everyone started screaming when they saw him," a man told news channel Chilevision.
Another said: "There were a lot of children there, and parents covered their eyes while it was going on.
"He was screaming religious things."
Why the hell did those murderers kill the poor lions?