A ZOO worker is in a critical condition after being ferociously mauled by a leopard.

The 25-year-old employee suffered severe injuries to his neck when he was attacked by the big cat at Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel.

Paramedics found the man bleeding and unconscious, according to Magen David Adom.

He was rushed to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem for emergency treatment.

Local police said that officers were dispatched to the scene to investigate the attack.

The zoo in Jerusalem holds two rare Persian leopards, which only arrived in January.

They were supposed to arrive in July 2024, but were stranded for months in the Czech Republic when wildlife transfers were suspended due to the war.

There are only around 1,500 Persian Leopards left in the world.

Both cats at Jerusalem Biblical Zoo are around three years old.

Persians are one of the largest subspecies of leopard, growing to around 6ft and 90kg.

Another worker at the zoo was seriously injured in a crocodile attack last August.

A security guard was forced to shoot the croc, and the worker thankfully survived.