Model Not Seriously Hurt When Lion Bites Down on Her Head
A model escaped serious injury when a lion she was posing with clamped its jaws on her head, an official said.
One of the animal’s trainers jammed his arm into the lion’s mouth to stop it, witnesses said.
“It wasn’t an attack, it was a bite,” said David Dydo, Manchester animal control officer.
Shannon Audley, 23, suffered cuts to her head and back. She was listed in good condition Thursday at Catholic Medical Center.
Audley was posing for a print advertisement with the 6-year-old male lion Wednesday at a modeling agency. She had been posing with the animal for about an hour when it clamped its jaws on the side of her head, witnesses said.
“I’ve worked with this lion many times and never had a problem before,” photographer Bill Melton said. The lion was taken back to Tennessee, where it is kept, police said.
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