Over the weekend a 22 year old man stripped his clothes off and then, fully naked, threw himself into the lions’ enclosure at a zoo in Santiago, Chile. The lions responded in a predictable manner and as a result two of them, a male and a female, were shot dead. The man, who had left a suicide note with his clothes, is being treated in hospital for “serious injuries”.

This is so sad on a number of levels. Firstly, that a human being (particularly a young human being) felt so desperate that he attempted to take his own life.

Secondly, that he did it in such a way that two magnificent beasts were killed because of the method he chose.

Thirdly, why do we continue to keep animals in captivity, depriving them of a natural life, just so that we can look at them from behind bars?