The death of 19-year-old Gerson de Melo Machado, known as “Vaquerinho”, after breaking into a lioness’s cage in João Pessoa (PB), this Sunday (30/11), revealed a history characterized by extreme weakness, untreated mental disorders and successive reports to the police.
According to delegate Josenes de Andrade Francisco, in an interview with CapitalsThe young man collected 16 violations, most of which were for damage and petty theft.
She claims that the young man was suffering from clear mental disorders. During the last visit to the Flagrantis Center, which took place last week, there was a request for psychological treatment. “I think the demand was underappreciated,” she says.
Guardianship counselor Veronica Oliveira, who accompanied the young man for eight years, said he often went to the police station alone and turned himself in.
“I want to go to Africa to take care of lions.”
Reports from police officers who dealt directly with Gerson show that he insisted on repeating his dream of going to Africa and caring for lions. He said he would make the trip “on foot,” and the agents tried to explain that the mainland was very far away.
According to the guardianship advisor, this is a desire that has accompanied him since childhood. In one of the most dangerous situations, the young man tried to reach the plane secretly.
She wrote in a report about the young man: “You told me that you were going to board a plane to go on safari in Africa to take care of lions. And you were still trying, but I thanked God when the airport informed me that you had cut the fence and entered the landing gear of the Goal plane. I thanked God that they had noticed on the cameras that there was a teenager, before something bad happened.”
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Abandoning family
Veronica accompanied Gerson from the ages of 10 to 18. She describes him as a young man who grew up without family support and in harsh conditions. The son of a schizophrenic mother whose grandparents also had mental health problems, he lived in extreme poverty.
The first time the chancellor saw him, Gerson was taken by the Federal Highway Police (PRF) to the Guardianship Council, after he was found walking alone in a house. Since then, it has been part of the Child Protection Network.
She says that even though her mother lost custody of her years ago, the young man continued to search for her. “Even though he was destitute, he loved his mother and dreamed that she would be able to take care of him,” he says. “He escaped from the shelter and went straight to his grandmother and mother’s house.”
Among the brothers, Gerson was the only one who did not find an adoptive family. “Precisely because there is potential for disruption. Society wants to adopt perfect children, which is impossible under institutional care, where they only arrive in the face of extreme neglect.”
However, Gerson’s disorders were not officially recognized until he entered the socio-educational system.
The case
On Sunday, Gerson invaded the cage of a lioness in the park of Arruda Camara, known as pica, in João Pessoa, Paraíba.
In an official note, the João Pessoa City Council reported that he “quickly climbed a wall more than 6 meters high, passed through the security bars, used a tree for support, and entered the lioness’s enclosure.”
The municipal administration announced that it had already begun investigating the circumstances of the case, expressed its solidarity with the victim’s family, and confirmed that the zoo follows all technical and safety standards.
The Military Police and the Paraiba Scientific Police Institute (IPC) were called in to take appropriate action. The zoo was closed immediately after the attack, and visits were suspended. There are still no expectations for reopening.