BEIJING -- A circus lion in China bit off the arm of a 10-year old boy after lunging through the bars of its cage and grabbing the child, state press said Monday.

The boy was watching the lion when it suddenly grabbed him with its paws, Xinhua news agency said.

When staff pulled the boy away, his arm had been ripped off by the animal, it added. The boy is now in hospital.

The tragedy occurred at a park where a travelling circus was performing in eastern Anhui province on Saturday afternoon.

Local police said the bars on the cage were too far apart, blaming the circus for the mishap, the report said.

In February last year, a six-year-old girl was mauled to death by a performing tiger at a zoo in southwestern China's Yunnan province as she was being photographed with the animal.

The animal lunged at the girl's head when a flashbulb went off at the Kunming Zoo, local press reports said at the time.

Visitors had for years paid 15 yuan (around $2) to have a photo taken with the animal.