Coral Gables - The owner of an exotic wildlife company has been charged in the mauling of a four-year-old girl by a cougar at a birthday party in Florida.

Corinne Oltz, who operates Wild Animal World, was charged with first-degree misdemeanour, culpable negligence and a second-degree misdemeanour charge of keeping wildlife in unsafe conditions.

The girl, now five, was attacked on November 18 at the home of Goya Foods president Francisco Unanue during a party for his child. She suffered severe cuts to her eyelid, cheek and ear, authorities said.

Police said Oltz, 38, removed the leashed cougar from its cage to show it to the children, but the girl sneaked behind Oltz and startled the animal. The declawed cat took the child's head with her teeth.

State wildlife officials said Oltz failed to use a barrier to protect the children, as a judge had ordered her to do after a previous attack.

The 28kg cougar was destroyed shortly after the attack.

There was no telephone listing for Wild Animal World and its Web site had a message saying it was temporarily unavailable, The Miami Herald reported.

Oltz's license to exhibit animals such as cougars has been suspended. A judge will decide whether she can continue to exhibit raccoons, snakes and lemurs.