Latest news with #WorkplaceHealthandSafety
ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
Elderly woman dies after being hit by garbage truck in north Queensland
An 85-year-old woman has died after being hit by a garbage truck in north Queensland. Forensic crash unit officers are investigating the incident in the Townsville suburb of Bushland Beach, where the woman was struck on Daintree Drive just after midday. She was declared dead at the scene. Neighbours told the ABC they were shocked by the incident but declined to comment further. Townsville City Council chief executive Joe McCabe said the city was aware of a "serious incident" involving one of its waste trucks and a member of the public. "Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of those impacted," he said. Mr McCabe confirmed the council was cooperating fully with investigations. "Out of respect for those involved and due to the ongoing investigations, council will not be making further comment at this time," he said. Police will assist Workplace Health and Safety Queensland with its investigation. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
NSW woman on emotional ‘rollercoaster' after losing arm in zoo lion attack, family says
The NSW school teacher maimed in a lion attack at a Queensland zoo at the weekend is struggling to come to terms with losing her arm, her family says. The woman, in her 50s, has been identified as Parkes school teacher Joanne Cabban. Darling Downs zoo owner Steve Robinson told media that Cabban, his sister-in-law, was visiting on school holidays, something she did regularly for 20 years. Cabban lost her arm in the attack by a lioness at about 8.30am on Sunday morning. She was in a staff-only area of the zoo, about 45 minutes south of Toowoomba. The attack took place near a holding enclosure, which contained the lions, while staff cleaned the main enclosure. Robinson said Cabban was 'very much on a rollercoaster emotionally as she comes to grips with the enormity of what has happened'. Robinson said Cabban was still 'heavily drugged with pain killers' but that her condition was listed as stable, as it has been since she arrived at the hospital via helicopter Sunday. 'I don't believe that she has been allowed out of bed yet,' he said. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the incident. Nobody else saw the attack take place, though others were nearby. Robinson said his wife was hoping to be able to speak to her sister about the details of the attack shortly. 'Steph (Cabban's sister) is hoping to be able to coax some precise details out of her later today or, more likely, tomorrow,' her told Guardian Australia. A spokesperson for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said their probe is 'still an active and ongoing investigation'. Robinson credited another member of staff, a carnivore keeper with first aid experience, with saving Cabban's life. She used his wife's leather belt as a makeshift tourniquet to stem the bleeding, and then applied a thermal blanket before paramedics arrived. The Darling Downs Zoo is privately owned and independent, employs 22 staff, including four lion keepers, and has nine lions. The zoo uses 'protected contact', which means nobody enters an enclosure with an adult lion, he said. The attack took place at one of the zoo's oldest enclosures, which has existed since it opened 20 years ago. Robinson said his sister-in-law often took photos to produce calendars for the zoo. He said the incident was not the lion's fault and people should not blame the animal. It has not been put down. 'There's no aggression, and there's no nastiness, anything like that at all. The best we can come up with at this stage is the lion was just playing,' he said. 'Now how she was playing with a human in that circumstance is yet to be determined.' Robinson said it was the first time an incident like this had happened at the zoo. 'That enclosure that we're looking at was one of our original ones. It's been there for 20 years, as I said before, without anything like this happening,' he said.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Darling Downs Zoo reopens, as lion-attack victim recovers after losing arm
Darling Downs Zoo south of Toowoomba has reopened two days after a woman lost her arm in a lioness attack. The zoo's full program of visitor activities has resumed this morning, however Workplace Health and Safety Queensland continues to investigate the circumstances around Sunday's incident. The injured woman in her 50s underwent surgery yesterday morning and is recovering in a stable condition in Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital. Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls confirmed she had lost her arm. Darling Downs Zoo operators said yesterday afternoon that the woman was a member of the owner's family and not a staff member. "She is well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals," the zoo wrote in an online post. Darling Downs Zoo said the woman did not enter the enclosure. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said a number of compliance notices had been issued to the zoo. Australian zookeeping standards require spatial buffers between big cats and any keepers that enter their enclosures. Conservation biologist Alex Braczkowski said this gold standard made attacks like Sunday's rare, but it was a reminder of the dangers of working with big cats. "If this had happened in western Uganda or eastern Kenya it's doubtful whether the victim would have been able to survive, just due to the proximity of medical care." Darling Downs Zoo said the lioness involved in the attack would not be put down.
The Age
6 days ago
- The Age
Queensland lion attack: What we know so far
The zoo said on Sunday the injured woman was 'not one of our immediate family, nor a keeper', and confirmed on Monday that the woman involved was not one of the zoo's owners. 'The lady involved in the incident is still in a stable condition in hospital and is surrounded by members of our extended family,' the zoo posted late Monday afternoon. 'She has lost her arm. She is not an employee, a keeper or a zoo visitor. She is a much-loved member of the zoo owners' family. 'It has still not been possible to interview her to establish what led to this tragic incident.' The woman was not in the enclosure with the lioness, the zoo said. A Metro South Health Services spokeswoman said the woman remained in a stable condition on Monday. The investigation After closing on Sunday and Monday, the spokesperson said in a statement it would reopen from Tuesday. Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel arrived at the zoo 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 Darling Downs Zoo spokesperson said. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said investigations were continuing on Monday, but could not provide more detail. The zoo said it would not euthanise or otherwise punish the animal involved. What is the Darling Downs Zoo The Darling Downs Zoo is a two-hour drive from Brisbane, sitting 100 kilometres to the south-west. It is owned and managed by Stephanie and Steve Robinson, who purchased the 49-hectare property in 2001. Locals from nearby communities in Allora and Clifton – which boast populations of about 1500 each – said the zoo was particularly popular with people from Toowoomba, the nearest major town that sits about 40 kilometres directly north of the zoo. It has partnered with a number of local business and schools, who declined to comment. The Robinsons moved their animal collection to the property in 2022 and began building the zoo. They opened the zoo in 2005, but ran successful breeding programs for years beforehand. In recognition of its breeding programs working with vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered native species, which have been returned to the wild in partnership with release programs across the country, the Australian government listed the zoo as charity in June this year. The zoo's big cats The zoo houses several (asked for exact amount) big cats, including white and tawny African lions, tigers and leopards, and several species of small cats, such as cheetahs, caracals, and servals. The cats are bred at the zoo, but its website says the animals in its breeding programs are not on display for visitors. It began its lion breeding program in 1997, and its social media pages say managing director Steve Robinson has almost five decades of experience specifically dealing with African lions. Some of the oldest lions at the zoo are almost 15 years old, which is approaching the natural lifespan of an African lion, but the oldest lion bred at the zoo is 24 years old, and now resides at the Mansfield Zoo, in north-eastern Victoria. The zoo currently boasts a handful of cubs, including a set of female cubs born in mid-May and a male cub, Caesar, born in August last year. Up-close encounters The zoo offers several 'strictly monitored' close encounter experiences with the lions, tigers and leopards for $150 per person, which are used to help fund conservation programs. Encounters are limited to four people per encounter, with two encounter offered per day. The zoo's website offers guests 'the thrill of a lifetime' with the opportunity to feed one of the zoo's big cats through the fence with tongs. Guests are offered '15 minutes of big cat time', alongside educational talks and photo opportunities with all three big cat species. Cubs are brought into the public-facing part of the zoo for tours at 10am each day. A statement from the zoo on Sunday said the lion involved in the attack was not currently 'cubbing' – raising young – which can make big cats more aggressive. How many big cats are in captivity in Queensland We asked the Department of Primary Industries this very question. Six hours later, the department provided a list of about 150 people and organisations with a current 'exhibited animal authority' that allows them to keep animals. There was no information regarding the actual animals. If DPI knows, they aren't sharing. Animal attacks at Queensland zoos Last September, a 47-year-old Gold Coast tiger handler was mauled while she was walking the animal at Dreamworld, suffering serious lacerations and puncture wounds. Also at Dreamworld, in 2011, a Bengal named Kato bit two Dreamworld tiger handlers – one in May and one in September. Kato was transferred to Symbio Wildlife Park in NSW the following year, where he died in 2018 aged 16. There were also a string of tiger-related injuries at Australia Zoo, on the Sunshine Coast, last decade. In November 2013, 120-kilogram Sumatran tiger Ranu bit 33-year-old handler Dave Style on the neck and shoulder in front of horrified onlookers during a public show at the popular attraction, made famous by the late Steve Irwin. The following July, another tiger, Juma, bit Australia Zoo handler Mark Turner on the calf during a routine walk. And in 2016, Che Woolcott received deep scratches to his arm and head after Ranu swatted at him with his paw. Monday's attack at Dreamworld came two days after a female pedestrian was taken to hospital with a potentially life-threatening injury after she was struck by a vehicle on the road approaching the theme park.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Queensland lion attack: What we know so far
The zoo said on Sunday the injured woman was 'not one of our immediate family, nor a keeper', and confirmed on Monday that the woman involved was not one of the zoo's owners. 'The lady involved in the incident is still in a stable condition in hospital and is surrounded by members of our extended family,' the zoo posted late Monday afternoon. 'She has lost her arm. She is not an employee, a keeper or a zoo visitor. She is a much-loved member of the zoo owners' family. 'It has still not been possible to interview her to establish what led to this tragic incident.' The woman was not in the enclosure with the lioness, the zoo said. A Metro South Health Services spokeswoman said the woman remained in a stable condition on Monday. The investigation After closing on Sunday and Monday, the spokesperson said in a statement it would reopen from Tuesday. Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel arrived at the zoo 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 Darling Downs Zoo spokesperson said. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said investigations were continuing on Monday, but could not provide more detail. The zoo said it would not euthanise or otherwise punish the animal involved. What is the Darling Downs Zoo The Darling Downs Zoo is a two-hour drive from Brisbane, sitting 100 kilometres to the south-west. It is owned and managed by Stephanie and Steve Robinson, who purchased the 49-hectare property in 2001. Locals from nearby communities in Allora and Clifton – which boast populations of about 1500 each – said the zoo was particularly popular with people from Toowoomba, the nearest major town that sits about 40 kilometres directly north of the zoo. It has partnered with a number of local business and schools, who declined to comment. The Robinsons moved their animal collection to the property in 2022 and began building the zoo. They opened the zoo in 2005, but ran successful breeding programs for years beforehand. In recognition of its breeding programs working with vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered native species, which have been returned to the wild in partnership with release programs across the country, the Australian government listed the zoo as charity in June this year. The zoo's big cats The zoo houses several (asked for exact amount) big cats, including white and tawny African lions, tigers and leopards, and several species of small cats, such as cheetahs, caracals, and servals. The cats are bred at the zoo, but its website says the animals in its breeding programs are not on display for visitors. It began its lion breeding program in 1997, and its social media pages say managing director Steve Robinson has almost five decades of experience specifically dealing with African lions. Some of the oldest lions at the zoo are almost 15 years old, which is approaching the natural lifespan of an African lion, but the oldest lion bred at the zoo is 24 years old, and now resides at the Mansfield Zoo, in north-eastern Victoria. The zoo currently boasts a handful of cubs, including a set of female cubs born in mid-May and a male cub, Caesar, born in August last year. Up-close encounters The zoo offers several 'strictly monitored' close encounter experiences with the lions, tigers and leopards for $150 per person, which are used to help fund conservation programs. Encounters are limited to four people per encounter, with two encounter offered per day. The zoo's website offers guests 'the thrill of a lifetime' with the opportunity to feed one of the zoo's big cats through the fence with tongs. Guests are offered '15 minutes of big cat time', alongside educational talks and photo opportunities with all three big cat species. Cubs are brought into the public-facing part of the zoo for tours at 10am each day. A statement from the zoo on Sunday said the lion involved in the attack was not currently 'cubbing' – raising young – which can make big cats more aggressive. How many big cats are in captivity in Queensland We asked the Department of Primary Industries this very question. Six hours later, the department provided a list of about 150 people and organisations with a current 'exhibited animal authority' that allows them to keep animals. There was no information regarding the actual animals. If DPI knows, they aren't sharing. Animal attacks at Queensland zoos Last September, a 47-year-old Gold Coast tiger handler was mauled while she was walking the animal at Dreamworld, suffering serious lacerations and puncture wounds. Also at Dreamworld, in 2011, a Bengal named Kato bit two Dreamworld tiger handlers – one in May and one in September. Kato was transferred to Symbio Wildlife Park in NSW the following year, where he died in 2018 aged 16. There were also a string of tiger-related injuries at Australia Zoo, on the Sunshine Coast, last decade. In November 2013, 120-kilogram Sumatran tiger Ranu bit 33-year-old handler Dave Style on the neck and shoulder in front of horrified onlookers during a public show at the popular attraction, made famous by the late Steve Irwin. The following July, another tiger, Juma, bit Australia Zoo handler Mark Turner on the calf during a routine walk. And in 2016, Che Woolcott received deep scratches to his arm and head after Ranu swatted at him with his paw. Monday's attack at Dreamworld came two days after a female pedestrian was taken to hospital with a potentially life-threatening injury after she was struck by a vehicle on the road approaching the theme park.
