An Australian woman suffered “severe damage” to her arm after a lion attacked her at Darling Downs Zoo.
According to a news release by the Zoo, the incident occurred at around 8:30 on Saturday morning. They explain, “A much loved member of our family was watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct.”
The establishment says the woman has done this many times over the last 20 years and is “well-versed in safety protocols” around the animals. An animal reportedly grabbed the woman by the arm and caused “severe damage” to it. Darling Downs Zoo stresses that the animals never left their enclosure and there was never any danger to staff or the public.
Emergency services airlifted the woman to the Prince Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. The Zoo claims she is in a stable condition, but has required surgery. The establishment was closed for the rest of the weekend.
The Injured Woman Is A Family Member Of The Zoo’s Owner
A more recent report by the zoo clarifies several details about what happened. The injured woman is reportedly a member of the Zoo owner’s family. Darling Downs Zoo confirms a lioness attacked her and she has now lost her arm.
Perhaps in response to other articles written about the incident, the establishment also clarifies, “She was not in its enclosure. It was not hungry, skinny, taunted or tortured – it is a lion. It comes from a long line of captive-born lions in Australia but it is still a lion – not a pet.” The lioness was reportedly not with cubs either.
The Zoo explained that the authorities had not interviewed the woman to ascertain what had happened, but stressed that the lioness would not be put down. In a separate update, they wrote, “The animal will definitely not be put down or punished in any way.” They also pushed the reopening date back to Tuesday. “We are extremely grateful to the QAS, QPS and LifeFlight for their prompt attendance and to all of the people and organisations who have rallied round us with messages of support,” Zoo staff said.