A woman was mauled by a lion after entering its enclosure and taking a picture with it, according to reports.

Olga Solomina, 46, was at the Taygan safari park in Crimea, Ukraine, when the animal dragged her away by the arm.

Luckily zoo director Oleg Zubkov was nearby and managed to save her by chasing the lion away.

He then placed Ms�?Solomina in a vehicle and drove her to safety.

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Olga posing beside the lion before being bitten (Picture: CEN) Ms Solomina 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.’



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Olga in hospital after being bitten (Picture: CEN)

There has been some dispute over who was to blame for the incident, and the way Ms Solomina was treated afterwards.

She made a number of allegations against Mr Zubkov, which included him not calling an ambulance for her, ordering a vet to treat her and giving her alcohol to soothe the pain.

He countered by saying Ms Solomina was to blame for getting hurt because she was drunk and also tried to the stroke the lion’s mane.

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Ms Solomina eventually went to the hospital the next day where she was diagnosed her with a serious infection caused from the bite.

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 safari park is refusing to pay the 1,000,000 RUB (£12,000) compensation Ms Solomina is apparently demanding saying she signed a disclaimer.

Police have launched an investigation.

Mr Zubkov rose to prominence after a video showed him throwing a slipper at a dominant lion that was bullying a young lioness.

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