NSW School Teacher Joanne Cabban Identified as Victim of Lion Attack at Darling Downs Zoo

A woman who lost her arm after being mauled by a lioness at a Queensland zoo on Sunday has been identified as Joanne Cabban, a school teacher from Forbes in New South Wales.

Ms Cabban was visiting her sister, Darling Downs Zoo owner Stephanie Robinson, during a regular school-holiday trip when she was attacked. She remains in a stable condition in the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, where she has undergone surgery for her injuries.

According to her family, Ms Cabban has been visiting the zoo for 20 years and often took photographs of the animals during her visits, turning the images into calendars at Christmas.

In a statement, Red Bend Catholic College, where Ms Cabban worked, said their thoughts and prayers were with her family. They have asked for complete privacy, and we ask all to respect that request.

Zoo owner Steve Robinson said his wife and a carnivore keeper had just finished cleaning out the lion enclosure at about 8:30 am on Sunday when they heard a scream and discovered a lioness had bitten Ms Cabban's arm, effectively amputating the limb.

Mr. Robinson said Ms Cabban had been standing alone near the holding pen, where several lionesses were being held at the time. He said another keeper was nearby when the incident occurred, who jumped into action 'in a split second' to save his sister-in-law's life.

Mr. Robinson said there was no CCTV coverage of the holding enclosure as the area was not accessible to the public. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the attack.

According to the source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.