Do you dare to take a photo with the big cat?
A tourist faced a shocking accident when she was visiting a Safari park in Ukraine and taking pictures with a zoo lion. The big cat turned mad and dragged her on the ground, leading her seriously injured.
It's unknown if she can get her arm full recovery and she is asking the park for around US$1,538 as a compensation, but the refused her demand.
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Olga Solomina, 46, participated in the event of "Being with lions" hold by the park since she was attracted by the famous footage of Oleg Zubkov, the director of the safari park, using slippers to tame a lion.
She said she was told to kneel down and touch the lion's mane for photographs. But the next moment, the lion she was touching suddenly pounced on her arm and dragged her "like a rag doll" on the floor. What's more terrible was other lions started to move their feet.
She was so scared to close her eyes and felt she would be torn apart by the animals. "It lasted several seconds that felt like eternity for me.", Olga said.
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Oleg was nearby at that time. He immediately drove the lions and took her away. The tourist was seriously injured but she claimed she was treated only with a towel wrapping on her arm by the park's staff.
"He (Oleg) asked me not to call the police or an ambulance, saying that my injuries were not severe", the victim recalled.
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A staff member treated Olga's lacerations with hydrogen peroxide for disinfection. Then a vet injected her with lidocaine and stitched the wound. "Instead of anesthetizing me they gave me a bottle of cognac. They did not give me any antibiotics.", she said.
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Over the next 24 hours, her temperature escalated. She finally called an ambulance when she was in incredible pain. Doctors diagnosed she was seriously infected and had to undergo surgery.
"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," doctor Nikolai Vlasov said.
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Oleg later said Olga was drunk when she tried to touch the lion's mane. "Obviously, the young lion did not like the smell of alcohol that came from Olga," Oleg explained.
The safari park refused to give 1,000,000-ruble (around US$1,500) compensation, saying she signed a disclaimer accepting that the excursion was dangerous.
Police are investigating the case.
MADRID (AP) — Spain attracted a record 94 million tourists last year, making the Southern European nation famous for its Mediterranean coastline, sweeping landscapes and historic cities among the most visited countries on earth.
The surge in visitors has stoked complaints at times from some Spaniards about “overtourism, ” with concerns about overcrowding, water use and particularly the availability and affordability of housing.
Spain's government has started listening to demands for more regulation, particularly around housing in Spain's big cities, where rising home and rental prices have become a key concern for voters. Earlier this month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez introduced a 12-part plan to tackle the housing crisis, with measures aimed at bringing stricter regulations to short-term rentals that mainly cater to tourists.
But that doesn't mean Spain is putting the brakes on tourism, an industry that accounts for about 12% of its GDP.
Here's what you should know before planning a visit:
No, but some cities have started to regulate tourism rental properties.
Malaga, an Andalusian port city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain, will prohibit new rental properties in 43 neighborhoods of the city where those rentals exceed 8% of the residential stock. The policy went into effect earlier this month and will be tested for three years.
Meanwhile, Barcelona plans to close down all of its 10,000 apartments licensed as short-term rentals in the coming years to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. The Mediterranean city known for its beaches, art and surrealist architecture announced last year that it would not renew any new tourism apartment licenses after they expire in 2028.
Yes. Tourists can book hotel stays and short-term apartment-style rentals just about anywhere in Spain.
Spain is in the throes of a growing housing affordability problem. Skyrocketing rents are particularly acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for young people. Housing prices are also steadily rising, especially in cities and coastal areas.
Short-term contracts mainly offered for tourists are seen as driving up rental costs for locals, too.
Visitors renting a car in Spain or booking hotel stays will also have to file more paperwork thanks to a new law that requires hotel owners and car rental companies to send personal information to the government for national security reasons.
Passport details, home addresses and payment information used by travelers above 14 are among the details that will be collected.
FILE - People, mostly tourists, look on from balconies at the running of the bulls during the San Fermín fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, July 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, file)
FILE - Worshippers attend a Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, Spain, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, file)
FILE - People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)