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Last weekend, a woman was at Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland, and lost her arm. The zoo, which keeps nine lions, has been operating for 20 years and had never experienced an incident such as this.

The victim was a relative of the zoo owner, Steve Robinson, who the lions were not aggressive and the lioness was thought to be "just playing."

Although attacks like this are extremely rare, they are obviously of great concern. The incident should prompt a rethink of our approach to wild animals in captivity, and whether it's morally acceptable—or safe—to keep them there at all.

Why do zoos exist?

Zoos, aquariums and other settings where wild animals are kept captive exist for two main reasons: and profit-making.

zoo visitors have a preference for large mammals such as elephants, primates and big cats.

Some animals are more tolerant of captivity conditions and exposure to humans than others. Fish, for example, seem to to human presence than most other species.

But found captive animals generally demonstrate abnormal behavior more often than non-captive ones.

For most wild animals, captivity deprives them of the ability to , which harms their welfare. For example, free-living dolphins and whales have which require vast ocean spaces. They are also highly social and display complex communication behavior.

Some countries have because it causes the sensory deprivation and stress, among other harms.

were once common in aquariums and marine parks across Australia. But now only one facility, Sea World in Queensland, still breeds dolphins for entertainment.

And earlier this year, to a 12-hectare habitat in South Australia to .

Another important welfare question is whether the captive animal has "agency"—that is, as it would in the wild.

Can it choose, for example, which other animals it has ? Or whether it ? Having control over such decisions enhances the quality of life for the captive animal.

It's important to note that some zoos can deliver positive outcomes for animals. Many play an important conservation role, such as running for endangered species.

An example is a long-running across several Australian zoos and other organizations to recover populations of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. The program has released more than 400 zoo-bred birds into the wild.

However, such conservation programs do not necessarily need to involve zoos to succeed.

Weighing up the risks

No matter how domesticated they might seem, some wild animals in captivity will always pose a risk to humans. Their behavior can be unpredictable and, as the recent Queensland example shows, even a "playing" lioness can cause enormous physical harm to people.

Wild animals are called wild for a reason. To be kept in captivity, most animals so they can be safely handled. The Darling Downs Zoo incident shows that despite this precaution, things can still go .

But humans will, understandably, always be fascinated by other animals, and want to see them up close. So what are the alternatives to zoos?

Open-range zoos, such as the one to which the Perth elephants were moved, can offer a better option for some animals.

Another option is to recreate the zoo experience using technology. Artificial intelligence, and augmented reality can be used to create images of animals that .

In Australia, examples include Brisbane's and a touring Australia which replicates a real shark dive.

Overseas, have been created to replace dolphin shows.

Questions about animals kept in captivity require us to consider how much risk to human safety we accept, and the extent to which we prioritize human amusement over animal welfare. In searching for answers, we can start by asking whether we need zoos at all.