Latest news with #lionessattack
ABC News
07-07-2025
- 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 Guardian
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Queensland zoo to reopen two days after woman loses arm to lioness
A woman has lost her arm after being attacked on Sunday at a Queensland zoo by a lioness, which the zoo insists 'was not hungry' or maltreated. Queensland's health minister, Tim Nicholls, confirmed that the woman, who is in her 50s, had 'lost her arm' in the attack, which took place at about 8.32am on Sunday at the Darling Downs zoo, south of Toowoomba. 'I got a report this morning, so she has had surgery, and she is recovering well in the PA [Princess Alexandra] hospital,' Nicholls said on Monday morning. 'And unfortunately, she has lost her arm.' She was in a stable condition in hospital on Monday evening. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, Darling Downs zoo said the victim was 'not an employee, a keeper or a zoo visitor', but 'a much-loved member of the zoo owners' family'. In a post on Sunday, they said the woman had been 'watching keepers working in the carnivore precinct', something they said she had 'done many, many times over the past 20 years'. 'It has still not been possible to interview her to establish what led to this tragic incident,' the zoo wrote in the Monday post, adding that there was no plan for the animal to be put down. 'We can confirm that she was attacked by a lioness. She was not in its enclosure.' The zoo emphasised in the post that the animal 'was not hungry, skinny, taunted or tortured'. 'A full investigation has been carried out by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland,' they went on. 'As a result the Darling Downs zoo will reopen at 9am tomorrow [Tuesday] morning.' A spokesperson from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said on Monday evening that the incident was 'still an ongoing and active WHSQ investigation'. 'WHSQ inspectors have issued a number of compliance notices to the business to ensure compliance with WHS legislation.' In a Facebook post published on Sunday, the zoo had previously said the animal did not leave its enclosure during the attack and 'there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public'. The zoo did not respond to questions on Monday afternoon as to whether additional steps had been taken to improve safety at the facility. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Darling Downs zoo turns 20 this year. In a Facebook post published on Sunday, the zoo said the animal did not leave its enclosure during the attack and 'there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public'. The zoo plans to reopen at the normal time of 9am tomorrow. It did not respond to questions about what steps had been taken to improve safety at the facility. A spokesperson from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said the organisation is continuing its investigation into the incident. It did not confirm whether it had approved the reopening plans. Nationals leader and Queensland MP David Littleproud said on Monday that the attack was a 'tragic incident' but that Darling Downs zoo had operated safely for 'many, many years'. 'We need to understand and appreciate the circumstances that led to this before we make any judgment and allow that to happen in the right environment,' he said. Littleproud encouraged locals to continue to visit the zoo, 'which will need support from the community during this difficult time'. 'As someone that's a local to that part of the world, it's shocked much of the community, and it's a very important economic part of our part of Queensland. So our thoughts are with them and the zoo today.' It is not the first big cat attack at a Queensland site in recent months. Dreamworld reportedly ended human interaction with its tigers after an attack on a handler in September 2024.
