Lions, tigers shot dead after escaping from US zoo
Visitors to Mogo Zoo, about 10km south of Batemans Bay, had to be locked away in "safe houses" when nine-year-old lioness Jameila broke free.
Zoo owner Sally Padey said keepers tried to recapture the animal but had to shoot when it became a public threat.
"The risk was too great," she said. "It was a situation that could have been far more devastating than it already is."
Mogo Zoo business manager John Appleby said a marksman was told to "put her down".
"She never reached a public area but there was a concern that she may have," he said.
"She was moving quite slowly towards a public area, but under the circumstances a decision was made to put her down."
Staff members were devastated by the loss of Jamelia, who was born at the zoo and hand-reared.
"She was part of the Mogo Zoo family and a very important animal and loved by the entire team," he said.
It was the first animal to escape in the zoo's 20-year history.
Source: heraldsun
