A former zoo worker’s claim that a teacher may have put her arm in the enclosure to pat a lioness, which then ripped off her arm has sparked a fiery response from their former boss.
Joanne Cabban remains in a Brisbane hospital after losing her arm during the horrific mauling at Darling Downs Zoo near Toowoomba on Sunday.
The high school teacher from central-west NSW was visiting the zoo owned by her sister Stephanie Robinson when disaster struck shortly before the tourist attraction was scheduled to open for the day.
As the zoo reopened for the first time since the attack, a former worker has speculated on what may have happened.
‘She was walking the dog past the lion enclosure and put her arm through to pat the lions – as the owners normally do,’ they told 7news.com.au.
The bombshell claim emerged after images posted by the zoo showing staff patting and kissing the dangerous animals.
Zoo co-owner Steve Robinson hit back when Daily Mail Australia put the allegations to him on Thursday morning.
‘If I responded to every bit of rubbish on social media, I’d be tied to the computer all day,’ he said.
Joanne Cabban was attacked by a lion while visiting Darling Downs Zoo on Sunday
The high school teacher lost her arm in the horrific attack
‘Short answer is – bulldust! What was she going to do? Pat the dog with one hand and the lion with the other?
‘I won’t contribute to giving these attention seekers their five seconds of fame.
‘If this person is truly a ‘former zoo worker’ then he/she would never have seen anyone walking a dog through the zoo – let alone in an off display area.’
Mr Robinson also denied claims that dogs are walked through the zoo.
‘The owners never walk dogs through the zoo and never have,’ he said.
Several questions remain unanswered, despite Mr Robinson earlier this week revealing more details about the harrowing attack on his sister-in-law.
It’s understood Ms Cabban was standing near the holding enclosure where the lions were being kept while the main enclosure was being cleaned.
‘She certainly was not in the enclosure — nobody goes into the enclosure with adult lions in this zoo, so we can rule that out entirely,’ Mr Robinson said.
Steve Robinson has hit back at allegations by a former zoo worker
A former worker has claimed that Ms Cabban may have put her hand inside the enclosure to pat the lion. Pictured is a zoo worker with a lion at the tourist attraction
His wife remains at her sister’s bedside at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, where Ms Cabban will undergo further surgery.
He said the attack shocked staff and the local community, where the family has operated the zoo since 2005.
‘It’s still very raw,’ Mr Robinson said.
He added that his sister-in-law sustained life-changing injuries that were ‘too macabre’ to describe in detail.
Ms Cabban visited the zoo several times in the school holidays over the past 20 years, acting as a photographer.
The photos are then used to create zoo calendars, Mr Robinson explained.
Lion encounters remain suspended at the zoo.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has launched an investigation into the incident.
It’s understood compliance order have already been served.
The zoo has been listed for sale for the third time in two years at a cut-price $6million, down from its initial $7million price tag in 2023.
