A world famous lion whisperer is fighting for his life after he was savagely mauled by a big cat he spared last year when it killed a close female colleague.
The beast brutally attacked Oleg Zubkov, 57, inflicting serious head, neck and lung wounds, and he is now in a 'critical' condition in hospital.
He was inside the enclosure during feeding time at Taigan Safari Park - which he founded - in Russian-occupied Crimea.
'There was terrible panic...the lion dragged the man by the neck like a toy,' said a witness.
The beast pulled Zubkov under a viewing platform, a bridge over the enclosure.
