Lion bites off boy's arm

A circus lion bit off a 10-year-old boy’s arm through the bars of its cage, it has been revealed today.

The boy, from Mengcheng in eastern China, was looking at the animal in a park on Saturday when it lunged and grabbed him with its paws.

“Park workers managed to pull the boy away, but his left arm had been torn away by the animal,” the state news agency said.

Mengcheng police said the space between the cage’s iron bars was too large, and failed to properly contain the lion.

Police were questioning the park owners and circus organisers.

Last year, a nine-year-old boy was eaten by a crocodile in the southern region of Guangxi after climbing a fence around a pool in a park where crocodile shows were staged.