Ananova:

A naked man has jumped into a lions' den at a zoo in Sri Lanka and tried to feed himself to the big cats.

The man had written a letter before jumping into the enclosure saying he wanted to offer the lions a meal.

The man survived despite the three lions biting off parts of his arms, legs, chest and groin area at the National Zoological Gardens in the capital Colombo.

The man was rescued by zoo staff and onlookers who beat dustbins to frighten the lions away and took him to a nearby hospital, where he is in intensive care.

In his note. the unnamed man said he was giving his "alms" to the lions.

Sri Lanka's majority Buddhist population believes that giving alms, a gift to a deserving cause, can earn merit for future incarnations.