Horror moment zoo keeper has FINGER ripped off by lion after sticking his hand into cage

A ZOO keeper ended up getting his finger ripped off by a lion as the beast attacked him in front of terrified visitors. Video shows the moment the man at Jamaica Zoo is left screaming after sticking his hand into a the beast’s cage. The zoo keeper laughs and jokes as he plays around with the lion It all goes wrong with the lion bites down He desperately tries to get away from the creature And then he is hurled backwards – leaving his finger in the lion’s mouth The zoo keeper ignores the animal’s growls and snarls as he foolishly sticks his fingers into his mouth. Tempting fate, the man then sticks his fingers into the cage again. And then horrifyingly the lion bites down. The man is left shouting as he desperately tries to pull back his hand as the lion clamps its jaws around his middle finger. READ MORE ON ANIMAL ATTACKS PRIMAL SCREAM World's worst zoo attacks and miraculous escapes in the face of certain death FLIPPING OUT Most savage dolphin attacks as they maul kids & try to have sex with trainers He grabs hold of his right arm with his left hand and attempts to wrench himself away from the cage. Bracing himself with his foot against the concrete block part of the enclosure, he then pulls back – seemingly severing his finger. “When it happened, I thought it was a joke. I didn’t realise the seriousness of it because it’s their job to put on a show,” one witness told The Jamaica Observer. “Obviously, when he fell on the ground everybody realised that it was serious. Everybody started to panic.” Most read in The Sun 'SHATTERED' Refugee Sofiia wore low cut top around my man… she was after him from day one SICK NOTE Dec Donnelly forced to leave BGT stage to 'throw up' as act makes him feel sick 'SUDDEN HEALTH SHOCK' Danniella Westbrook rushed to A&E with life-threatening condition BACK DOWN TO EARTH Furys end luxury £18k-a-night yacht stay with budget flight back to UK PARTY MURDER Men who beat student and threw him to his death from balcony jailed for life TOO CUTE Towie's Jessica Wright gives birth to first child and reveals adorable picture She explained the group had been on a tour of the zoo – with the lions being one of the final stops at the park. And the witness said despite his injuries, the man managed to walk away and get into a truck before driving off. The woman added: “The entire skin and about the first joint of his finger was gone. “I ran away from the whole thing, because me nuh like see blood and it was too graphic for me. “His facial expression when he was walking is like the pain never kicked in.” The zoo, located near Santa Cruz, said it was not aware of the incident – but it is being investigated by the  Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Managing director Pamela Lawson said: “We will be going down there and I will be communicating with the National Environment and Planning Agency who has oversight over Jamaica Zoo.”