Darling Downs Zoo attack: Owner’s shock admission after lion mauling

A teacher from NSW has been identified as the woman who lost an arm after being mauled by a lion, but the owner of the zoo says the attack was not the animal’s fault.

• Keeper’s quick-thinking heroics

The life of a woman whose arm was ripped off by a lioness was saved by a quick-thinking zookeeper who used a belt as a tourniquet to stop her bleeding out.

Darling Downs Zoo owners Steve and Stephanie Robinson reopened the doors of their 48ha facility for the first time on Tuesday — two days after Ms Robinson’s sister Joanne Cabban was “inexplicably” bitten by a lioness.

Mr Robinson, speaking outside the zoo, said the attack was not the “lion’s fault” and at this stage the best explanation was that “the lion was just playing”.

NSW teacher Joanne Cabban has been identified as the zoo keeper who lost an arm after being attacked by a lion.

This masthead can now exclusively reveal Ms Cabban, a teacher from Forbes in New South Wales aged in her 50s, was in a cleaning pen with Ms Robinson and a keeper when the attack happened about 8.30am on Sunday — just 30 minutes before the zoo was due to open.

In a bid to stress how safe the area had been in the past, Mr Robinson confirmed his daughter would go in there even when she was little.

“The reason (Ms Cabban) was there was because my wife was cleaning with one of the keepers. There is always a senior and younger keeper,” he said.

According to Mr Robinson there were three lionesses in the holding pen — physically separated from the human trio by a metal fence.

The attack happened so quickly Mr Robinson is unsure which of the three lionesses bit his sister-in law, nor is there CCTV footage of the incident.

“She saw blood,” he said

“I am not sure which lion did it, it happened so fast.”

Darling Downs Zoo owner Steve Robinson after his sister-in-law lost her arm in a lion attack.

But the quick thinking of the keeper likely saved Ms Cabban’s life according to Mr Robinson.

The keeper used Ms Robinson’s belt as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the ripped arm, which was lost in the attack.

Mr Robinson said his sister-in-law had been coming to the zoo for 20 years, including every school holiday period to stay with the couple at the Pilton facility.

A keen photographer, Mr Robinson said the woman was well versed in the safety protocols of the zoo.

He said his family and the zoo were still reeling from the tragic incident.

“We’re still processing in our minds and coming to grips with not just what happened, but what happens next,” Mr Robinson said.

“This is not a lion’s fault.

“I don’t know if it’s anybody’s fault, we will find out as time goes by. The best we can come up with at this stage is the lion was just playing.

“How she was playing with a human in that circumstance is yet to be determined.”

A staff member feeds a Lion in its enclosure, after a person was attacked and their arm was severed at Darling Downs Zoo.

Paramedics were called to the Darling Downs Zoo, in Pilton just outside Toowoomba, about 8.30am on Sunday.

The woman was then flown to Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane and cared for en route by a critical care doctor and a QAS flight paramedic before landing about 10am.

The PA confirmed the woman was in a stable condition on Tuesday.

Premier David Crisafulli told Sunrise on Wednesday that his government would leave “no stone unturned” in the investigation into the mauling.

“Workplace Health and Safety have been there from the moment it happened. They will continue to,” he said.

“The owners are co-operating very, very well. Those investigations will continue. Right now, I think we’ve got to reflect on what occurred and obviously a very traumatic experience for the woman involved, but also her colleagues.

“There are stories of heroism today. It’s important to know that we will leave no stone unturned in making sure that that investigation happens.

The zoo entertained a steady stream of visitors on Tuesday, with some patrons overheard querying “is this where it happened, which one did it?”

Tracy Arklay, who drove out from Brisbane on Tuesday, said she had already been planning a trip to the zoo for her grandson’s third birthday.

“Then that terrible thing happened the other day, but they’re still open so we’re happy to be here,” she said.

Stephanie Robinson with the big cats at the Darling Downs Zoo. Photo Jayden Brown/File

“They’re wild animals and I think we’ve got to be careful around all animals really, but it’s just so sad for the family and for the zoo.

“I think it’s lovely that the community is still supporting it.”

Joanne Ashby, who was visiting from Bundaberg with her grandchildren, said she wasn’t turned off by the accident, and neither were the dozens of other families that filled the parking lot.

Giles Burton and his family had been planning to come out to the Darling Downs Zoo the day of the incident, so came back when they reopened on Tuesday, making the trip from Logan.

The Robinsons opened the zoo in 2005, though they had been breeding lions decades prior. They put the zoo up for sale in June 2023 but changed their minds in 2024 after being unable to find a buyer who would carry on the legacy of the 48ha zoo.