A 10-year-old girl was attacked by two lions at a zoo in China after a zookeeper let her enter a restricted feeding zone—a tragic error that left her screaming as the animals grabbed her leg and dragged her toward the enclosure bars.
The frightening incident occurred on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Shantou Zhongshan Park Zoo in Guangdong Province, China, when the child stood close to the lions’ enclosure in an attempt to feed them. Video footage captured the moment a lioness suddenly pushed her paw through an opening in the bars and seized the girl’s leg, knocking her to the ground.
The girl’s cries filled the area as a zookeeper grabbed her and fought to pull her free from the lioness’s hold. As the struggle continued, another lion reached through the bars and tried to grab her as well. The zoo worker eventually struck the lioness’s paw with a metal rod, managing to free the girl after a terrifying 30-second struggle caught on surveillance cameras.
She sustained minor scrapes to her leg and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she received a precautionary rabies shot before being released around 9 p.m. that evening. Surprisingly, her parents reportedly do not blame the zoo for what happened.
According to local media reports, zoo employees believe the lioness reacted after seeing meat in the girl’s hand during the feeding. The predator’s hunting instincts were activated by the food she was holding.
The incident revealed a serious safety lapse at the facility. The girl was far too young to be allowed into the feeding area, which is limited to older visitors for safety reasons. An internal review found that the zookeeper had brought her into a protected buffer zone so she could feed the lioness, even though she was below the age requirement.
The investigation showed that “zoo keepers allowed visitors to enter the isolation area to feed the animals,” according to the zoo’s Feb. 28 statement. The event was blamed on a breakdown in proper management judgment.
The zookeeper who let the underage girl into the restricted feeding zone has been suspended and reassigned following the attack.
Shantou Zhongshan Park Zoo, known for its hands-on feeding experiences that draw many families, has been temporarily shut down after the attack. Its operations are halted while a full safety review is conducted to protect both guests and animals.
The dramatic video released by news outlets shows the girl standing right against the enclosure bars when the attack began. The footage illustrates how quickly a seemingly routine feeding moment turned into a life-threatening situation.
Lions are top predators with extremely strong jaws and claws capable of causing serious or fatal injuries. Adult male lions typically weigh 330 to 550 pounds, while lionesses—like those in this incident—weigh around 265 to 395 pounds. Their natural hunting instincts can be triggered by movement, closeness, or the presence of food, making close encounters dangerous, especially for children.
The girl’s relatively minor injuries are considered incredibly fortunate given the circumstances. The swift action of the zookeeper using the metal rod likely prevented far more severe injuries—or a potentially fatal attack.
Authorities in China have not yet indicated whether further penalties or new regulations will follow the inquiry.
