Visitors seeking a “prey’s eye view” can get within “clawing range” of lions at one Australian zoo. Or they can experience the “thrill of a lifetime” by standing near enough to a lion to feel its breath as they pass meat through the fence with kitchen tongs. “Want to feed a lion by hand?” You can do that too if you find the right zoo. Visitors can pay $150 to place meat directly on their palm and feed it to a hungry lion through the bars.
A visit to the zoo is usually considered a fun family day out, and lions are a popular drawcard. While details are not yet clear, the recent maiming of a woman related to the zoo owner in a staff-only area at Darling Downs zoo at the weekend has offered a stark reminder that lions are held in facilities across the country, and encounters with the apex predators can come with risk.
