A female zookeeper in New South Wales’ Shoalhaven Zoo in Australia is fighting for her life in the St. George hospital after being mauled by a lion. The 35-year old woman was rescued by airlifting, after she was found lying unconscious, having suffered ‘severe injuries’ to her head. It is said that she was attacked by the two lions kept in the zoo when she had entered the enclosure to clean it.
The woman’s body had a number of lacerations and bites showing that the attack had been extremely severe. Four ambulance crews and a rescue helicopter arrived at the scene and treated the woman before she was airlifted to St George hospital.
While talking about the rescue operation, Inspector Faye Stockmen, Duty Operations Manager of NSW Ambulance, said, ‘It was absolutely harrowing. It is an incredibly dangerous situation, both for the patient and the paramedics,’ and that walking literally into the lion’s den was absolutely frightening.