Zookeeper screams as lion breaks through gate

A lion's untimely escape attempt has caused a zookeeper to let out a high-pitched scream during a demonstration at a US park.

The keeper was in the middle of a warning about the importance of not showing fear when the lion jumped through a gate behind him.

"Now when you play with lions it's important to never show fear," the keeper can be heard saying in video posted to LiveLeak.

The lion then pushes through a safety gate, and the keeper screams and jumps away from the single remaining fence between them.

The video was filmed in Camp Verde, Arizona, two days ago.

It has been viewed more than 62,000 times.