Lion at Oregon Zoo recovering after hydraulic door cuts off tip of his tail

PORTLAND (KPTV) -- A lion at the Oregon Zoo is recovering after losing the tip of his tail, FOX 12 reported Tuesday.

Video posted on YouTube shows the moment the hydraulic door came down on Zawadi's tail as he entered the training area for the daily interaction with zoo visitors Monday.



A keeper told FOX 12 that it is someone's responsibility to be in charge of that door, so they are now reviewing policies.

"The door is a hydraulic door. We are looking into exactly what happened. We are investigating all the stuff that happened, going over protocols, mechanics so it doesn't happen again but that is still being worked on," said the Oregon Zoo's Becca Van Beek told FOX 12. "It's really unfortunate again because it happened during this demo when all these kids were so excited to see him and we appreciate the opportunity to let everyone know he is really doing well. We've had a lot of people very concerned about how he is doing and he is doing well."

In fact, it actually took Zawadi a few minutes to go back inside to see a veterinarian because he was focused on eating his meatballs. But for now, he is off-exhibit.

Zawadi is expected to recover without any complications, but that part of his tail won't ever grow back, zoo officials said.