A female zookeeper has been attacked by two lions at a zoo in North Nowra, south of Sydney, on Friday morning.<br /><br />Emergency services were called to Shoalhaven Zoo and Adventure World at 10.20am following reports that two male lions had bitten the 35-year-old woman on the head and neck region.<br />The woman was flown to St George Hospital in Sydney in a critical but stable condition.<br /><br />NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Faye Stockmen said the job was one of the worst she had attended.<br /><br />"I have never come across a job like this in my career," she said. "It was absolutely harrowing.<br /><br />"It is an incredibly dangerous situation, both for the patient and the paramedics.<br />"Being the first to walk into the enclosure was one of the most frightening experiences - we literally had to walk into a lion's den.<br /><br />"The attack was extremely vicious and paramedics found the woman with severe injuries."<br /><br />Police have been told the woman was cleaning the lions' enclosure at the time of the attack.<br /><br />They have established a crime scene and continue to investigate the incident.<br />The lions were secured shortly after the incident and remain in a safe location.<br /><br />Shoalhaven Zoo said it could not comment at this time.<br /><br />South Coast Police District Commander Detective Superintendent Greg Moore said it was too early to say whether the lions would be put down.<br /><br /><br />Shoalhaven Zoo owner Nick Schilko with handler Trent Burton who was bitten by a croc during a feeding show on Monday. <br /><br />"At this stage, we are looking into what has occurred and then a decision will be made once the investigation has been complete," he said.<br /><br />A message on the zoo's website from Monday said it would be closed temporarily due to the coronavirus lockdown.<br /><br />SafeWork NSW is investigating.<br /><br />The zoo says that visitors can come face-to-face with its lions in the "Roarsome Foursome" experience during which they can feed the animals with the help of staff.<br /><br />In 2014, an animal handler was attacked by a crocodile at the same zoo.<br /><br />Trent Burton, believed to be in his mid 30s, was presenting a crocodile feeding show at the zoo in July, 2014, when the largest resident crocodile, a 3.7-metre reptile known as John, grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the water in the enclosure.<br /><br />He was treated for non-life threatening injuries to both hands.<br />#Lion<br />#attack<br />#Zookeeper<br />#BIAS Media
