Zubkov's colleague spoke about his approach to working with lions and tigers.

Oleg Zubkov, the owner of the Taigan Lion Park in Crimea, who was injured in a lion attack, communicated with the predators as with children. His colleague, director of the zoo in Mariupol, Savely Vashura, told Izvestia about this on June 22.

"[Zubkov visits the animals], he talks. He'll beat someone with a slipper, scold them. Well, it's like they're little kids, even though they're all grown-up lions and tigers," he said.

According to him, many predators are born on the territory of the Taigan and have known the owner of the park since birth because he spends a lot of time with them. When the animals grow up, Zubkov releases them into the savannah.

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Earlier that day, it became known that while feeding predators, a lion attacked Zubkov and inflicted multiple injuries on him. The director of the park managed to get out of the cage, after which he lost consciousness. Zubkov was taken to the hospital, his condition is considered serious.