Sydney (CNN) A zookeeper in Australia is in critical condition after being mauled by two lions while cleaning their enclosure on Friday, authorities said. The 35-year-old woman was bitten in the head and neck in what one paramedic called an "extremely vicious" attack at Shoalhaven Zoo, about 100 miles (162 kilometers) south of Sydney in New South Wales state, CNN affiliate 9 News Australia reportedParamedics were called to the facility at about 10:30 a.m. local time, police said in a statement. They arrived to find the woman unconscious in the lion enclosure and needed to enter it to retrieve her safely, according to 9 News Australia. She was then airlifted to a Sydney hospital in "a critical but stable condition," police said. Faye Stockmen, a duty operations manager at NSW Ambulance, told 9 News Australia it was "one of the most frightening experiences" of her career.

Source: CNN May 29, 2020 06:00 UTC