A baboon was ravaged to death by an enraged lion in front of shocked visitors to Beijing-based Safari Park on Sunday ， according to today's China Daily.

The bloody killing has sparked widespread concern about the protection of weaker species raised next to fierce predators in the park.

The incident occurred around 8 am on Sunday as tourists threw fruits and other food at a group of baboons through an iron fence，Beijing Evening News reported on Monday.

In the melee for the food，the head baboon - a large male，weighing about 25 kilogram - accidentally jumped over a 2-metre high guard rail separating the baboons from a lion couple，and ran frantically towards the lioness.

The protective lion，which the panic-stricken baboon hardly noticed，launched a fatal attack from behind the monkey，biting into its neck and abdomen.

Although the animal keeper immediately tried to save the baboon from the lion's claws，by attempting to lure the lion away with a hen，the baboon was too badly wounded to be saved.

"Such a tragedy has never happened before，and it is very incredible to all of us，" said Liu Tianchen，deputy general manager of the safari park.

Liu said the incident was partly caused by the misbehaviour of some tourists in the park.

Liu said the safari park in Beijing's suburb was the first in the country to raise wild animals of two different species togethe，and the practice was still in a pilot stage at present.

Besides lions and baboons，both bears and deer，plus wolves and wild boars live together in the park，in an attempt to provide a natural environment for the animals.

According to Guo Geng，head of the Beijing Elk Raising Centre,lions and baboons can live harmoniously together provided they have substantial space，considering their natural habitat.

However.limited space in the safari park makes it hard to provide enough hiding places，such as woods or caves, for the weaker species to escape in times of danger.

Zhu Feibing，head of animal-keepers at Beijing Zoo，said ， although the wild animals'aggressiveness is greatly blunted due to excessive feeding，they are unusually irritable and dangerous during the period of mating.

"A lot of people may not know that， for example，a buck deer can attack a bear if the buck is angered when its doe is on heat，" said Zhu

(Xinhua 08/15/2001)