Woman loses arm in lion attack at Queensland zoo

A woman has lost an arm after she was attacked by a lion at a zoo in Queensland’s Darling Downs on Sunday morning.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics were called to Darling Downs Zoo, on Baines Road at Pilton, about 35 kilometres south of Toowoomba, at 8.23am.

There, they found a woman in her 50s with “significant arm injuries” whom they airlifted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, about 110 kilometres north-east of the zoo, in a stable condition.

The woman’s arm was lost during the attack.

Phoned for comment, a staff member at the zoo said “nobody is taking phone calls today”. A couple of hours later, the zoo released a statement via social media.

“At approximately 8.30 this morning a much-loved member of our family was watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct,” a zoo spokesperson said.

“This is something that she has done many, many times over the past 20 years. 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.”

However, a later statement also confirmed the woman was not a staff member and that they would not euthanise the animal.

“The injured person was not one of our immediate family nor a keeper,” the zoo spokesperson wrote.

“The animal involved was not an animal which has recently cubbed.

“The animal will definitely not be put down or punished in any way.”

The spokesperson said the animal remained in its enclosure at all times, and there was never any risk to other zoo staff or the public.

“Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel are investigating this incident and have been onsite all morning,” the spokesperson said.

“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 woman was airlifted to hospital after suffering an animal bite.Credit: Nine News

The woman was undergoing surgery to her arm on Sunday afternoon, the spokesperson said.

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

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

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