Lion attack: Alarming images surface after woman loses arm in incident at Darling Downs Zoo

Days after a Queensland woman lost her arm in a horrific lion attack at Darling Downs Zoo, footage has emerged of a staff member with her face and fingers dangerously close to the fence of a lion enclosure at the tourist attraction.

A woman, aged in her 50s, was attacked by a lioness at the zoo on Sunday.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Alarming footage from Aussie zoo surfaces after woman attacked by lion.

On Monday, the woman was identified as a “much-loved member” of the zoo owner’s own family.

Footage has surfaced of one of the zoo staff members putting her face and fingers through a fence, while a lion initially brings its head low to be scratched, before suddenly rearing back, growling and bearing its teeth.

The footage is from a 7NEWS report shot in 2023 and appears to show Stephanie Robinson, who owns the regional zoo with her husband Steve, interacting with a male lion.

The couple began breeding lions in 1997 and opened the zoo in 2005.

In a statement on Monday, the zoo confirmed the woman was in a “stable condition in hospital and is surrounded by members of our extended family”.

“She has lost her arm,” the zoo said.

“She is not an employee, a keeper or a zoo visitor. She is a much loved member of the zoo owners’ family.”

The zoo confirmed they had still been unable to interview her to establish what led to the incident, but did say the woman was not inside the lion’s enclosure when she was attacked.

They earlier said the woman had observed keepers in the precinct “many, many times over the past 20 years” and was “well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals”.

“It was not hungry, skinny, taunted or tortured — it is a lion,” the zoo said.

“It comes from a long line of captive born lions in Australia, but it is still a lion — not a pet.

“It will NOT be put down.”

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said it had done a full investigation and will allow the zoo to reopen on Tuesday morning.

Darling Downs Zoo was put up for sale in March for $6 million, the second time the family has attempted to sell it since 2023.