Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Zookeeper critical after being attacked by two lions

'Being the first to walk into the enclosure was one of the most frightening experiences – we literally had to walk into a lion’s den,' says ambulance officer

Kate Ng
Friday 29 May 2020 04:27 EDT
Comments
Police work at the Shoalhaven Zoo in Nowra, Australia, Friday, May, 29, 2020, where an animal keeper has been critically injured
Police work at the Shoalhaven Zoo in Nowra, Australia, Friday, May, 29, 2020, where an animal keeper has been critically injured (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A zookeeper in Australia is in critical condition after she was attacked by two lions and suffered multiple bite wounds.

The attack, which has been described as “extremely vicious” took place at Shoalhaven Zoo in North Nowra, New South Wales.

According to NSW Police, emergency services were called to the zoo before 10.30am on Friday and the 35-year-old woman was “treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for head and neck injuries”.

She was then airlifted to St George Hospital “in a critical but stable condition”.

NSW Police Superintendent Greg Moore said zookeeper had been performing cleaning duties in the lion enclosure when she was “set upon” by the big cats.

Faye Stockman, duty operations manager of NSW Ambulance, told reporters the operation to rescue the woman was “absolutely harrowing”.

“This is one of the worst jobs I have ever experienced – I have never come across a job like this in my career,” she said.

“It is an incredibly dangerous situation, both for the patient and the paramedics. Being the first to walk into the enclosure was one of the most frightening experiences – we literally had to walk into a lion’s den.

“The attack was extremely vicious and paramedics found the woman with severe injuries.”

Police have established a crime scene and investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are underway.

Shoalhaven Zoo said it had no comment on the incident at this time.

Mr Moore said it was too early to say if the lions would be put down, adding a “decision will be made once the investigation has been completed”.

“Understandably, it has had a big impact on the staff – it is a small zoo and the staff are very tight-knit,” he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in