Lion in Russia's Tambov Zoo mauls 4-year-old girl, sending her into coma

BY Jeff Zalesin
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Tuesday, June 1st 2010, 10:49 AM

A four-year-old girl was left physically beaten and emotionally scarred after a female lion in a Russian zoo pulled her into the cage and used her as a toy.

The child, who is now in a coma, seems to have been attacked while her grandmother was taking her picture next to the lion cage, London's Daily Mail reports.

She has been identified only by her given name, Nastya.

Witnesses say the lioness reached out from its cage and pulled Nastya in through the bars.

"It stretched out a paw and grabbed the girl, playing with her like a toy, tearing her neck and arm," a policeman said. "The girl lost consciousness from the severe pain."

The lioness tore Nastya's windpipe, severed her left arm and wrecked her shoulder, leaving her in a state of shock as well as physical pain.

A zookeeper and a band of visitors, including Nastya's grandfather, ultimately forced the animal away from Nastya by poking it with metal rods and spraying it with a hose, according to one witness.

The girl is now breathing with help from a machine, Dr. Viktor Shishlyannikov said.

One zookeeper said the attack was out of character for the lioness, who has been in the zoo for two years.

"She is so sweet, everybody could stroke her," the keeper said. "She has never been aggressive."

The zoo is investigating how security measures failed to keep Nastya out of the lioness's reach.

From: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/01/2010-06-01_lion_in_russian_zoo_mauls_4yearold_girl_sending_her_into_coma.html