The trainer of a lion that attacked a young girl in Saudi Arabia is being questioned over the incident.
The attack occurred this week at the “Jeddah Spring” festival held in the Red Sea city when children were allowed to run around with the six-month cub as part of the playful show.
However, the event turned into drama when the cub cornered a young girl, stood on its hind legs and grabbed her head with its paws amid screams from the audience.
One adult man who was with the children in the enclosure during the show succeeded into pulling the girl to safety.
“The children were delightfully playing and the lion seemed to have been attracted by the butterfly ribbon on the head of the girl,” Faisal Aseeri, the Saudi trainer who owns a small zoo was quoted as saying by Saudi news site Al Marsad on Thursday.
“The girl is now faring well and her condition is stable. She was not harmed. The cub is only six months old and its claws had been removed to make sure it did not harm children during the play.”
Aseeri added that the screams from some in the audience caused the tension and fear during the incident.