Overview

• An experienced visitor in her 50s lost her left arm after a lion at Darling Downs Zoo suddenly attacked her during a routine observation on Sunday.
• The victim was not employed by the zoo but had watched lion care there for 20 years and was airlifted to Brisbane where surgeons determined her arm could not be saved.
• Darling Downs Zoo has been closed since the incident while staff review safety and risk protocols.
• Queensland authorities have opened an official inquiry to establish why the attack occurred despite the visitor’s long-standing familiarity with the animals.
• Zoo officials confirmed the lion involved will not be euthanised, underscoring the park’s animal welfare policy pending the investigation’s conclusion.