Woman Loses Arm After Being Attacked by Lion at Queensland Zoo

A woman has sustained severe injuries to an arm when she was attacked by a lion at an Australian zoo.

The Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland said the 50-year-old woman was watching animal keepers working in the zoo’s carnivore precinct before opening hours Sunday morning when she was attacked.

The Woman is Now in Stable Condition

She was flown by helicopter from the rural town of Pilton to the state capital Brisbane where she underwent surgery. Her condition was stable, the zoo said in a statement Sunday. Several news media reported the woman lost the injured arm.

The zoo said staff were working with government workplace safety investigators to determine how the incident happened. The state government confirmed an investigation was underway.

“Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it,” the zoo statement said. “At no stage did this animal leave its enclosure and there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public.”

Woman was Known to Zoo Staff, Had Worked with the Lion for More than Two Decades

The woman had worked with the animal for more than 20 years and was known to zoo staff. The zoo said in a social media post on Sunday that the woman – described as a “much-loved member of our family” – had been observing keepers working when the incident occurred.

“This is something that she has done many, many times over the past 20 years, ” the zoo noted in its statement. “She is well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals.

“Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel are investigating this incident and have been onsite all morning. The zoo is working with them to establish how this incident occurred but the full details will not be known until (the woman) can be interviewed,” the statement continued.

“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.”

The zoo was closed on Sunday and is due to re-open on Tuesday. Another follow-up post indicated the woman was not a keeper or an immediate family member of the owners, and also asserted the animal “will definitely not be put down or punished in any way.”

Zoo Recently Promoted Supervised Encounters with Its Lionesses

Recently, the zoo promoted supervised encounters with its lionesses on social media. “Each day at 10am they are on supervised display to our visitors and are also available for some personalised encounters,” the zoo shared. “These encounters are strictly monitored to ensure their enjoyment of them and their wellbeing.

“Every cent of the money that they raise goes into a fund to build an expanded multi pride lion complex to cater for the needs of our enlarged lion family.”