Woman was watching keepers work when lion attacked, zoo says

6 hours ago 4

The woman mauled by a lion at a south-east Queensland zoo has been described by the organisation as a “much loved member of our family” with 20 years’ experience observing keepers at the property.

The woman in her 50s was watching keepers working in the zoo’s carnivore precinct, when the lion “inexplicably” grabbed her by one arm, the zoo’s operators said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The Darling Downs Zoo, located in Pilton about 50 kilometres south of Toowoomba and 145 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, is due to reopen on Tuesday.

“The injured person was not one of our immediate family, nor a keeper,” the zoo’s statement reads.

“A much loved member of our family was watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct. This is something she has done many, many times over the past 20 years.

“She is well versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals.”

A woman in her 50s has lost an arm to a lion mauling on Sunday, and remains recovering in a Brisbane Hospital.

The woman was flown to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, but her arm could not be saved.

The lion involved had not “recently cubbed”, which can make big cats more aggressive, and “will definitely not be put down or punished in any way”, the zoo said.

“Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it. At no stage did this animal leave it’s [sic] enclosure and there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public.”

Lions at Darling Downs Zoo on Sunday after a woman was mauled earlier that morning.

Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel arrived at the zoo, which is a two-hour drive from Brisbane, on Sunday to begin investigations.

“The zoo is working with them to establish how this incident occurred, but the full details will not be known until our family member can be interviewed,” the statement reads.

A Metro South Health Services spokeswoman said the woman remained in a stable condition.

Darling Downs Zoo declined further comment, pointing to its social media pages for updates.

The small rural zoo, which marked its 20th anniversary last month, houses several big cats, including lions, tigers and leopards.

The Office of Industrial Relations has been contacted for comment.

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