posted November 12, 2000 05:30 AM               

Lions Maul Man Offering Alms
Monday November 6 9:01 AM ET
Source: Reuters News Service

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A Sri Lankan man was seriously injured when he jumped naked into a lions' den at the national zoo, apparently offering himself up as a feast for the big cats, officials said Monday.

``The man...had written a letter before jumping into the enclosure saying he wanted to give 'alms' to the lions,'' said Senarath Gunasena, director of the National Zoological Gardens in the Colombo suburb of Dehiwala.

The man survived but the three lions in the den bit off parts of his arms, legs, chest and groin area.

The incident occurred Sunday when the zoo was full of visitors.

The man was rescued by zoo staff and onlookers who beat garbage cans to frighten the lions away and took him to a nearby hospital where he was in intensive care.

Sri Lanka's majority Buddhist population believes that giving alms can earn merit for future incarnations.