A model is suffering horrific injuries after being attacked by a leopard during a photoshoot at a retirement home for show animals in eastern Germany.
Jessica Leidolph, described as an animal lover as well as a photo model, suffered serious head injuries inside an enclosure that is home to two leopards, Troja and Paris.
The 36-year-old was injured when Troja, a 16-year-old leopard, suddenly lashed out and bit her cheek, ear and head.
Leidolph lost consciousness and was airlifted from the home in Nebra, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, to hospital, where she underwent surgery.
She has been left with permanent scarring.
A news alert that the leopard had then escaped and was currently on the run hoever, turned out to be false.
Burgenland District spokesperson Steven Muller-Uhrig said: “The animal never broke out.
“There is currently no danger to the population,” he confirmed.
Police were reportedly investigating who else was present at the photoshoot and what safety precautions were taken.
It was unclear what Leidolph was being filmed for, and who had organised the shoot.
According to her website, the model has her own horse, cats, pigeons and parrots.
The two leopards had once been on TV screens in an advert for Panasonic, before they were moved to the retirement home.
According to the home’s website, animals residing at the home have featured in film, TV and advertising, in everything from Game of Thrones to BMW.
District authorities said the animals' living conditions, behaviour and the site's security had been checked by local vets only this month.
Owner Birgit Stache, 48, who has worked as an animal trainer for 20 years and holds a legal license to keep the animals, is reportedly under investigation for negligent bodily harm, along with other people responsible for the animals at the home.
The authorities are considering taking away Stache's license for the retirement home for show animals.
Approximately 135 animals reside in the facility, which were mostly booked for photoshoots by interested individuals and companies.
Animal rights group Peta responded to the attack, calling for big cats to be kept only in recognised rescue centres, where they could not be exploited for commercial gain.
