Dad Went Into Coma After Watching Lion Bite Off His Two-Year-Old Daughter's Hand During Zoo Visit

A 2-year-old Yemeni girl’s day out at a zoo turned tragic when a lion attacked her and bit off her left hand.

The tragedy hit when the toddler, identified simply as Donia, was visiting a zoo in Ibb governorate in Yemen with her dad.

According to local media reports, while her father was busy clicking pictures of her, she slipped her hand through one of the holes in the protection net of the lion's cage.

Before the dad could react, the beast pounced at the toddler and bit her hand.

The father reportedly fell into a coma after watching his daughter's hand in the lion's mouth.

The father-daughter duo was rushed to a nearby hospital, according to Al-Arabiya Al Hadath.

Human rights advocates are holding the child’s father and the zoo administration, which is under the control of the Al Houthi militia, accountable for the tragedy.

They also criticized the administration’s ignorance of the safety of the visitors by placing iron nets that are highly inappropriate for these maneaters. They also decried the administration for failing to maintain a sufficient safety distance that prevents visitors and children from getting closer to these predators.

No updates were available about the current health condition of the girl and her father.

A similar incident was reported on Aug. 24, when a German model had her face ripped open by a leopard during a photoshoot at a retirement home for animals in the city of Nebra, Germany.

The 36-year-old model, Jessica Leidolph suffered critical bite injuries to her cheek, ear, and head and ended up losing consciousness after Troja, a 16-year-old leopard attacked her.

Leidolph was airlifted to hospital, while profusely bleeding from her head. She underwent immediate surgery and was left with multiple scars which are likely to stay for the rest of her life.

The leopard’s owner, 48-year-old Birgit Stache, who served as an animal trainer for 20 years, was being investigated on suspicion of negligent bodily harm.

Stache holds a legal license to keep the animals. If proven guilty, the authorities could strip him of his permit to run the show animals’ retirement home.