Darling Downs Zoo lion attack: Former employee reveals what happened before lion it Joanne Cabban’s arm
A former employee of the zoo where a woman lost her arm during a lion attack has revealed what she was doing in the moments before the big cat snapped.
The ex-staff member of the Darling Downs zoo, who did not want to be named, told 7NEWS the woman, Joanne Cabban, had done what people close to the animals at the zoo had done many times before.
Ms Cabban is the sister of Stephanie Robinson, who owns the zoo with husband Steve. She is in her 50s and a teacher in NSW and was visiting her sister at the time of the attack.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“She was walking the dog past the lion enclosure and put her arm through to pat the lions — as the owners normally do,” the former employee told 7NEWS.com.au.
The revelation comes after footage emerged of Ms Robinson with her face and fingers dangerously close to the fence of a lion enclosure at the Queensland zoo, two hours west of Brisbane.
Footage from a 7NEWS report shot in 2023 appeared to show her interacting with a male lion, putting her face and fingers through a fence while a lion lowers its head for a scratch. It then suddenly rears back, growling and bearing its teeth.
A statement from the zoo after the attack said Ms Cabban had been assisting in a role that she had performed for over 20 years without incident.
“This is something that she has done many, many times over the past 20 years,” the zoo statement read.
“Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it.”
Mr and Ms Robinson released a statement saying Ms Cabban was “well versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals”.
The zoo confirmed that the animal will “definitely not be put down or punished in any way”.
“At no stage did this animal leave its enclosure and there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public.”
Ms Cabban now faces a long road to recovery and Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
