| Lion Attacks Trainer In MGM's Vegas Wildlife Habitat |
A lion trainer was rushed to hospital, receiving stitches to leg wounds, after being attacked by a lion in MGM Grand's Lion Habitat in Las Vegas. The incident was caught on camera by a member of the public and has recently been put uploaded on YouTube.
The Lion Habitat, housed inside the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, is a state-of-the-art sound-proof, temperature-regulated lions' enclosure which showcases lions on a rotation-basis. The only sounds they hear are those from the professional lion trainers inside and waterfalls, designed to keep the lions as calm and relaxed as possible. It has proved to be an extremely popular tourist attraction.
At the time of the incident, the glass Habitat had a lion, a lioness, and two trainers present.
The camera was focused on the lioness and other trainer when loud gasps from the crowd were quickly followed by a member of the public's video camera moving to show the big lion on its hind legs, wrestling with the other trainer. The lion then went for his legs, with blood visibly staining the man's trousers. The other trainer quickly came to his rescue, and even the lioness tries to help out, pushing down on the lion's back, then shadowing its movement, appearing to shield it from launching a further attacking. The lion then appeared to be in pursuit of his victim, moving around the habitat, trying to find where he had gone.
Yvette Monet, a spokeswoman for MGM Resorts International, confirmed that the incident took place on 1st September and commented that the trainer was not an MGM Resorts' employee.
Pat Dingle, Las Vegas Zoo Director, told FOX5 news: "If this cat was serious, the damage to the animal care gentleman would be a lot more.
“The cat had no intentions of doing permanent damage. It wasn’t hungry. It wasn't anything like that. It was just a quick signal."
This isn't the first time a big cat has attacked a human in Vegas. In 2003, a white tiger used in Siegfried & Roy's world-famous tiger show at the MGM Mirage, violently attacked Roy Horn, leaving him in a critical condition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture have been informed of the incident and are now conducting a thorough investigation.
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