A lion has bitten a zoo worker in Canada in the back as it was being prepared for exhibition and has been put in isolation until the zoo decides what to do with it, an official said.
The worker at the Granby Zoo east of Montreal suffered a fracture in today's attack, but was conscious and in stable condition in hospital, director general Paul Gosselin told reporters.
Gosselin said the zookeeper was bitten in the back. "At this point we don't have the exact diagnosis," he said.
It was not immediately clear how the attack occurred, though Gosselin said the employee had been preparing the female lion for exhibition before the incident.
The zoo worker is in her 20s and has been with the organisation since 2011, Gosselin said. He said the zoo would be contacting experts in the United States before making a decision about what to do with the lion, which is one of three kept by the zoo.