In a Snapchat recording of the incident, a large number of kids are seen running inside the cage before the lion zeros in on one child and decides to grab her head with its paws.
Warning: Some viewers may find the footage disturbing
The cub had the girl pinned for roughly 22 seconds before the trainer succeeded in separating the two. The child was able to walk away from the incident with only minor cuts and bruises.
In a statement released on Twitter, the lion's trainer, Faisal Aseeri, explained that the lion had only cornered the girl because it had been attracted by a "butterfly ribbon on [her] head."
According to the Saudi news site Al Marsad, Aseeri indicated that the cub had been trained to be around humans and that its claws were removed "to make sure it did not harm children." He later added that the screams heard in the footage made the incident seem worse than it really was.
Aseeri has since been detained. It is unclear if authorities will press charges against him as the investigation into the attack is still ongoing.
In November 2016 a similar incident took place when a child in Saudi Arabia was attacked by a tiger during a promotional show, Gulf News reported.
