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Selfie Taken Moments Before Lion Brutally Mauls Woman During Safari Visit

Selfie Taken Moments Before Lion Brutally Mauls Woman During Safari Visit

When 46-year-old tourist Olga Solomina bent down to pose with a seemingly docile lion, she got far more than she bargained for

EMS 7

EMS 7

Despite the fact that tiger and lion selfies are slowly being phased out as the world awakens to the cruelty imposed on these animals, some safaris continue to offer its visitors the chance to pose with big cats in the name of a decent profile pic.

The Taygan safari park in Crimea, Ukraine, is one of these establishments and when 46-year-old tourist Olga Solomina bent down to pose with a seemingly docile lion, she got far more than she bargained for.

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According to the Daily Mail, the woman got herself into trouble after touching the lion's mane. Clearly it touched a nerve, as the animal launched into a ruthless attack, mauling Olga and attempting to drag her away by her arm.

Speaking to the Metro, Olga said: "I squatted down and put my hand on the lion as I was told. Next moment it grasped my arm and dragged me like a rag doll.

"The other lions jumped to their feet. I closed my eyes in fear waiting to be torn apart by the pride. It lasted several seconds that felt like eternity for me."

The attack occurred just after the picture was taken, when the zoo director Oleg Zubkov sprung into action and saved Olga by scaring the lion off.

But despite quite clearly being in need of medical attention, Olga said the zoo keeper refused to call an ambulance and instead gave her alcohol to sooth the pain.

It wasn't until the next day that she was taken to a medical facility and treated for an infection from the bite.

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Hospital spokesman Nikolai Vlasov said: "The infection got into her body from the teeth of the animal. It is a very dangerous infection.

"She underwent surgery. Her health condition became better, but she needs further treatment. At the moment it's still not clear if she will regain full usage of her arm."

The whole mess has now turned into a police incident, as the safari park is refusing to fork out the 1,000,000 RUB (£12,000) Olga is entitled to, having allegedly signed a disclaimer.

Sounds like this ordeal is far from over. Here's hoping Olga gets the compensation she's looking for and makes a full recovery.

Hopefully the safari learns from this mistake and ensures it never happens again.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Ukraine, Lion