Visitors hide from escaped lion in NSW zoo

SYDNEY - More than 30 zoo visitors were locked in "safe houses" after a lioness escaped from her enclosure on the NSW south coast.

The hand-reared nine-year-old tawny African lioness, Jamelia, was shot dead by a zoo keeper at Mogo Zoo, 10km south of Batemans Bay, at 9.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday.

A marksman was instructed to "put her down", the zoo's business manager John Appleby said.

"She never reached a public area but there was a concern that she may have, and our procedures and protocols followed to ensure that all our team members and visitors were taken into safe houses," Mr Appleby told AAP.

"She was moving quite slowly towards a public area, but under the circumstances a decision was made to put her down.

"Because it was a lion it was considered a dangerous animal, and protocol is if there is any potential risk to the public a decision would be made."

He said Jamelia was in a contained area of the private zoo, and about 30 visitors were in the grounds at the time of the shooting.

The visitors were taken to the main administration building and other buildings throughout the zoo.

"All team members carry radios and communications, so they all rallied though together," Mr Appleby said.

"I wouldn't say there was any panic, I think it was all very controlled.

"There was very much a controlled environment as far as getting the customers and the visitors into the appropriate areas."

It was important that the zoo keepers kept calm so as not to spook the animal, he said.

The 34 staff members were devastated by the loss of Jamelia, who was born at the zoo and hand-reared.

"It's an absolute loss, the team are still quite upset," Mr Appleby said.

"She was part of the Mogo Zoo family and a very important animal and loved by the entire team."

The escape is the first incident of its kind at the zoo, which was started by Bill and Sally Padey near the historic mining town of Mogo more than 14 years ago.

- AAP