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Gerson de Melo Machado was mauled to death by a lioness after sneaking into the big cat's pen at a zoo in Brazil on Sunday, Nov. 30

Machado, 19, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, had previously attempted to sneak onto a flight to Africa to pursue his dream of training lions

"My feeling is one of total powerlessness, and this feeling causes enormous pain in my soul," child welfare counselor Verônica Oliveira said of Machado's death

A teenager was mauled to death by a lioness after sneaking into the animal’s pen in front of fellow visitors at a zoo in Brazil.

On Sunday, Nov. 30, Gerson de Melo Machado climbed a wall about 20 feet high to break into the big cat’s enclosure at Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara in João Pessoa, Paraíba, local news outlets O Correio Brazile

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