Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes, has issued a statement about teacher Joanne Cabban, who lost her arm after being bitten by a lion in Darling Downs Zoo on 6 July.
“Jo Cabban is a much-loved member not only of our Red Bend College community but also our broader Forbes and Parkes communities,” the statement read.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with her and her family.
“They have asked for complete privacy, and we ask all to respect that request.”
The statement ended by saying the college in Forbes, a co-educational day and boarding school for students in Years 7 to 12 would make no further comment on the incident.
Cabban was at her family’s zoo in Toowoomba, Queensland when she was mauled by the lion.
She is now receiving care at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and has undergone surgery for her injuries.
Her brother-in-law Steve Robinson said Cabban was attacked at approximately 8.30am in a staff-only section of the zoo.
Cabban had been a regular visitor at the zoo for the past 20 years.
In an interview with The Guardian, Robinson said Cabban was “very much on a rollercoaster emotionally as she comes to grips with the enormity of what has happened.”
He said the lion was not being aggressive when it bit Cabban and urged people not to blame the animal—which was born and raised in captivity—for the incident.
“There’s no aggression, and there’s no nastiness, anything like that at all,” he said.
“The best we can come up with at this stage is the lion was just playing.”
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the incident.