Awesome Tragic end for the zoo deer who leapt into a lion enclosure

This is the moment a baby deer makes a real error of judgement and jumps into a zoo enclosure containing a pair of hungry lions.

Desperate visitors watched in horror as the young whitetail deer literally leapt into the lions' den at the National Zoo in Washington, U.S.

The crowd urged the tiny fawn to run as a lioness chased after the creature and trapped it beneath one of its paws.


But the plucky deer managed to shake off its pursuers, race away before leaping into a moat which surrounded the lion enclosure.

Cheering spectators then watched as keepers managed to the two lionesses back into their pens while they rescued the deer from the water.

Witness Rob Ephraim said the deer ran between people at the railing of the low wall and jumped into the sunken enclosure with the lions.

He said: 'It was running and it leaped, it must have had a death wish.'

Tragically the animal suffered serious wounds to its stomach and had to be put down.

The National Zoo is part of Rock Creek Park, home to many deer and other wild or 'feral' animals including raccoons and chipmunks.


Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Massan said it was the first time a deer had managed to get inside one of the carnivore's enclosures.

She said that the fawn had suffered serious injuries that it would not have been able to recover from.