Questions have been raised about how a brutal lion attack was able to unfold at a zoo as it’s revealed the victim who lost her arm is the sister of the owner.
The woman, whose identity has not been officially released, is the sister of Stephanie Robinson, who runs Darling Downs Zoo near Toowoomba in Queensland.
The woman lost her arm after a lioness ‘inexplicably’ grabbed her on Sunday morning while she was watching keepers work in the carnivore precinct.
But confusion has grown after a series of contradictory statements from the zoo about the victim’s ties to the sanctuary, and whether she was inside the enclosure when the big cat struck.
In its first statement on Facebook, the zoo described the woman, in her 50s, as a ‘much-loved member of our family’, claiming she was well-versed in safety protocols and had been around dangerous animals for decades.
It insisted the lioness never left its enclosure and that there was ‘no risk at all to staff members or members of the public.’
But later that same day, the zoo appeared to backtrack, stating the woman was ‘not an immediate family member or a zookeeper’ – a claim flatly contradicted by media reports it was Ms Robinson’s sister.
By Monday, a fresh statement declared the victim was not an ‘employee, a keeper or a visitor, but rather a much-loved member of the zoo owners’ family’.
Paramedics treat a woman who had her arm ripped off following a horrific lion attack at a Queensland zoo
The woman who was attacked has been revealed to be the sister of zoo owner Stephanie Robinson (Stephanie is pictured)
‘It has still not been possible car service to new york city interview her to establish what led to this tragic incident,’ the post read.
‘We can confirm that she was attacked by a lioness. She was not in its enclosure. It was not hungry, skinny, taunted or tortured – it is a lion.
‘It comes from a long line of captive-born lions in Australia but it is still a lion – not a pet.’
Daily Mail Australia showed Griffith University biologist Dr Alexander Braczkowski images posted by the zoo showing staff patting and kissing the dangerous predators.
He said the images were a ‘major red flag’ that contributed to the horrific incident.
‘The big question here is how the lion even got into close contact with the victim, but the more critical question: why was a non-zoo staff member even in proximity to an adult lioness,’ he said.
‘I’d say there’s has been a major breach of safety protocol.
‘Thank God it happened in Australia rather than Africa otherwise she would have bled out.’
Darling Downs Zoo co-owner Stephanie Robinson (pictured) is seen putting her hand through the fence to pat a lion
The zoo said it would reopen its doors to the public on Tuesday, two days after the owner’s sister was mauled by a lion
Animal welfare group FOUR PAWS Australia said most private facilities lacked the capacity or resources to ensure appropriate welfare or safety.
‘Incidents like this often occur when wild animals are placed in unnatural settings or when close human interaction is permitted,’ director Rebecca Linigen said.
Ms Linigen said in most cases these types of incidents could be prevented.
‘Prevention begins with ensuring that big cats are not kept in environments that allow or encourage direct contact with humans, whether for tourism, selfies, feeding demonstrations, or so-called ‘educational’ interactions,’ she said.
‘Without strong oversight and enforcement, these environments pose unacceptable risks to both animals and people.’
The zoo reopened to the public on Tuesday.
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