Watch: Children Were Allowed Into A Lion's Cage. Then, A Girl Was Attacked
Shocking mobile phone footage shows a lion cub attacking a young girl in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah. Fortunately, she escaped with just a few cuts and bruises. However, what's most shocking is that the lion was part of a bizarre activity organised as part of the Jeddah Spring Festival, where children were allowed to run around and play with the six-month-old cub.
In a Snapchat recording of the incident, multiple versions of which are circulating online, the lion cub is seen running about inside a cage. As music blares in the background, children - some who laugh with delight and others who appear apprehensive - chase the animal in circles around the cage. None of them appear older than ten-years-old.
Only one adult - the animal trainer - can be seen in the footage.
Suddenly, the cub spots a little girl and corners her. Within seconds, the animal pins her against the wall. As she struggles to free herself, the child tries to kick the lion away but loses her balance. The cub then pins her to the ground.
Other children scream in terror.
The animal trainer finally succeeds in pulling the cub off the little girl.
As he struggles to control the animal, a few children pull the little girl to safety.According to the animal trainer, the cub was attracted to the little girl's butterfly clip. The Saudi Gazette, quoting the animal trainer's tweet, reports that the cub had been declawed and had been "trained to be around humans."
The shocking footage quickly went viral with many asking why nobody - neither their parents nor the event's organisers - seemed particularly concerned with the children's safety.
According to Khaleej Times, the animal trainer and the event's organiser have been detained.