A woman in her 50s is believed to have lost an arm when a lion mauled her at an Australian zoo Sunday morning, according to authorities and reports.
The terrifying incident unfolded around 8:20 a.m. at the Darling Downs Zoo near Towoomba in Queensland as the woman — a long-time visitor — watched zookeepers caring for the beast, according to the zoo.
“This morning, a much-loved member of our family was watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct,” the zoo said in a statement.
The woman had “done this many many times over the past 20 years,” the statement read.
“She is well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals. … Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it,” the zoo said.
It’s not clear where the woman was standing when she was attacked. She was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane with a “significant arm injury” and was in stable condition while undergoing surgery.
The animal that mauled the woman was a lion, and the lady is believed to have lost her arm in the attack, the Daily Mail reported.
The lion never left its enclosure during the incident, the zoo stressed.
The animal will not be euthanized, the Daily Mail reported.
