A young girl was lucky to escape alive after she was pinned to the floor by a lion.

The youngster was inside the big cat’s cage with a number of other children - although it is not clear why.

All of a sudden the lion pounces and the girl screams. She is pinned down and the lion looks set to go in for the kill.

Luckily a quick-thinking adult managed to pull the animal off, so the child could stumble away, reports the Mirror.

Other children, some of which try to help, are seen looking on in horror.

The scary encounter took place on Saturday in Jaddah, Saudi Arabia.

Local media did not report on the condition of the young girl, or whether authorities are investigating.