Scott Baldwin has revealed he could have lost his hand after being bitten by a lion in South Africa in September.
The Wales hooker was on a visit to a game reserve in Bloemfontein before his Ospreys side faced the Cheetahs in a PRO14 fixture. Baldwin was stroking the lion through a gap in the cage, before the lion turned and bit the 29-year-old.
The wound was stitched, but an infection that followed led to fears that Baldwin could have lost his hand.
Baldwin told the BBC: "The bite went straight through the other side of the hand, but I was really lucky it didn't hit any tendons or ligaments.
"The surgeon said it was like winning the lottery. He said it was the best possible outcome I could have had after being bitten by a lion.
"The infection was the major issue. The next day it started tracking up my arm. The surgeon said there was a chance I could lose my hand."
Baldwin said he had two operations in South Africa before he flew back home. He was only allowed to board the plane if he flew with an intravenous drip attached to his arm, and if he went straight to a hospital after landing.
He said: "I was transferred to Morrison hospital in Swansea to see a plastic surgeon, and he cleaned it out once more.
"Because they had packed it with stuff to stop the infection, my skin was so loose he didn't have to take a skin graft, so I was really fortunate there."
Coach Steve Tandy described Baldwin as "pretty stupid" following Ospreys' defeat to the Cheetahs, but he said he could have the player available for Saturday's Champions Cup game against Saracens.
Baldwin said: "I've had the stitches out and hopefully will be back in training sometime in the coming week.
"I'm hoping to be available for this week, if all things go well. But that's my thought process, I don't know about the coaches and medical teams, but that's what I've got in my head.
"Steve Tandy has said we just need to get past it now. It is what it is, we just need to move on."