Woman bitten by lion cub stayed patting it, says owner

A British tourist who was nipped by a cub she was patting at Paradise Valley Springs, happily stayed with the animal following the incident, the wildlife park's owner says.
Stuart Hamlett says earlier reports about the incident were inaccurate and he was not given a chance to respond.
The English tourist, who wished to remain anonymous, told RadioLive she was shocked and stunned after being bitten by a cub at the Rotorua tourist park last Friday.
"It hurt and it gave me a shock," she said, stating she had a 2-inch-long claw mark and blood where the animal's teeth bit her, leaving her bruised. She said she was told by staff to report the incident and get medical assistance on the way out of the park.
According to Mr Hamlett, who spoke to The Daily Post yesterday, the woman remained in the enclosure with family patting Ella the cub, who was only knee-high not, as the woman had described, waist-high.
From time to time someone patting the cubs on show was "nipped", he said.
The cub had jumped up on the woman, grabbing her top and nipping her on the waist. Two experienced staff were in the enclosure at the time.
"Yes, an older English lady did get nipped by a young lion cub here at the park and this does happen from time to time with cubs being playful," he said. "Two of my most experienced lion cub handlers were supervising in the patting den at the time."
The cub was not as tall as the woman described.
"She's barely knee-high," he said.
He questioned why the woman stayed in the den if she was shocked by the incident.
"Ella was immediately put into an area where visitors, including the lady, could still pat her without direct contact. The lady continued to pat Ella through the semi-enclosed area and remained there with her husband and was last to leave when the den was closed," Mr Hamlett said.
"She also requested, almost begged, that Ella come out again for full-on contact with her."
However, the cub handler declined as Ella appeared to have taken "a definite liking" to the woman's top. The woman was annoyed her request was denied and continued walking through the rest of the park rather than seeking medical attention, Mr Hamlett said.
"She had declined an immediate offer of antiseptic cream and attention at our reception, which is only 30-odd metres from the den and also declined to be involved with leaving any name or details for an incident report."
However, staff did complete a report stating "Ella jumped up to grab the lady's top and grabbed her skin as well. Left a 10cm graze on her stomach on the left hand side".
Mr Hamlett had requested a copy of a medical report but was told she didn't seek medical attention. The Department of Labour and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry were advised of the incident, he said.