A woman is being treated for serious injuries after she was mauled by a lion at a Canadian zoo.

The member of staff in her twenties was preparing to feed the animal when it attacked her, seriously hurting her lower body and neck.

One of the three lions in the enclosure bit her, according to Granby Zoo director Paul Gossellin, resulting in the woman suffering from a cervical fracture.

“We're still in shock about what happened,” he said.

He added at a press conference that he does not know what led to the incident.

The attack at the zoo, which is about 80 kilometers east of Montreal, happened around 9am on Monday before it opened to the public.

Another zoo worker used a water hose to scare off the lion.

The unidentified woman has worked at the zoo since 2011.

She is in a stable condition and conscious, according to the ambulance service.

The zoo has not identified which lion attacked her.