SALT LAKE CITY, July 13 (UPI) -- A Mormon missionary in Guatemala is recovering from an attack by two lions at a zoo after what his stepfather described as a moment of "poor judgment."
Jonathan Allen of St. George, Utah, told KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, that his stepson, Elder Paul Oakey, was able to call his mother after undergoing 5 hours of surgery Monday. Allen said Oakey even joked about Daniel in the lion's den.
Allen said Oakey, on a visit to the zoo with friends, stood on a concrete barrier outside the lion cage. He did not realize the floor inside the cage was high enough to allow the lions to attack him.
One lion mauled a leg and another mauled an arm. A companion shoved a pole into one lion's mouth while Oakey poked the other one's eyes, Allen said.
Oakey was to be transferred to a hospital in Guatemala City, Allen said, because of continued problems with his blood pressure.
"Paul loves life," said Allen. "Regardless of his poor judgment in this case, he's energetic, he's healthy, he's strong, he's in good spirits, and it's just another adventure for him."
