Boy almost eaten alive by jaguar after jumping zoo barrier to snap risky selfie

A 14-year-old boy almost had his leg torn off after crossing a security barrier at a zoo where a jaguar latched onto his leg.

The incident took place at Zoo Leon, in Mexico's Guanajuato state on Saturday (July 23), where the boy aimed to secure an outrageously dangerous selfie alongside the large cat.

Despite putting himself in an extremely precarious position, the teenager managed to escape with his shoe falling off which led the jaguar to let go of his leg, allowing the boy to run away.

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The boy, named as Jose in local media, was shown with injuries to his left leg in video footage as he was then carried to a bench for treatment.

After crossing the security barrier of the zoo, which has been open since 1979 and houses more than 1000 animals of 180 species, the boy allegedly stuck his leg through the bars of the animal's cage which is when the jaguar pounced.

After the boy's trainer was pulled into the enclosure, another incident looked set to happen after a second jaguar attempted to grab the shoe, much to the dismay of the first jaguar who seemed hell-bent on keeping it.

Following the incident, Zoo Leon issued a statement, confirming the boy was attacked by the jaguar and said he was in stable condition following the immediate arrival of paramedics on the scene who treated him swiftly.

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Alongside the paramedics, the young teen has zoo workers to thank for his stable condition as they initially provided first aid while paramedics were on their way.

While the zoo offered to help the boy's family with their medical costs, they made sure to reinforce the security measures within the enclosures and the importance of sticking to the rules.

“It is important to mention that there are signs on display [advising visitors] to not to violate the security barriers, this to safeguard the integrity and security of our visitors, as well as the zoo’s animals, " the zoo said.

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