Lion tears off arm of British woman who tried to pet it

A BRITISH woman whose arm was bitten off by a lion when she reached through the bars of an enclosure at an animal sanctuary in Spain was last night recovering from emergency surgery.

Anne Richards, 54, from Neath, south Wales, had attempted to pet one of the big cats when she was pounced on by a lioness called Marta who tore off her arm from the elbow.

Within minutes, the remaining pack of lions had surrounded the limb rendering any rescue attempt impossible.

Mrs Richards, whose condition was last night described as stable, was airlifted to a hospital in the town of Villajoyosa in the Alicante region where the surgery was conducted.

She has since been transferred to a hospital in Benidorm and is being comforted by her sister, who accompanied her on the holiday to Spain.

The pair had been visiting the El Arca sanctuary for wild animals near Alicante on Wednesday, when the tragic accident unfolded. The sanctuary in the town of Benimantell, which specialises in endangered species, was not available for comment.