VietJoy

An ambulance is seen leaving the Shoalhaven Zoo, where a worker was wounded in a lion attack, in Nowra, Australia, May, 29, 2020.

Police in Australia say a zookeeper is in critical condition after she was attacked Friday by two lions at a zoo.

Authorities say the 35-year-old woman was cleaning the enclosure when she was mauled by the lions at the Shoalhaven Zoo south near Nowra, about 1,100 kilometers south of Sydney.

Police say the woman suffered wounds to her head and neck, and credited quick work by her coworkers who came to the scene, secured the lions and gave her assistance.  

Medical first responders say the woman was unconscious on the ground when they arrived, and they began treating her for her wounds. The keeper was flown by a rescue helicopter to St. George Hospital in Sydney.

The zoo had been closed to the public due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Reuters news service reports this was not the first incident involving a keeper being attacked by an animal at the Shoalhaven Zoo. It reports that in 2014 a handler was dragged into the water by a crocodile on exhibit there, but escaped with minor injuries.