Officials at Phuket’s Tiger Kingdom park have closed, at least temporarily, its Big Cat area holding large animals after an Australian tourist was mauled earlier this week.
Tourists today could still see smaller tigers in cages, but the zone where tourists can pet and pose for pictures with animals was closed off following Tuesday's mauling of Australian tourist Paul Goudie, 49, Phuketwan reported.
Chinese tourists pose for pictures holding a young tiger at Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Pattaya. Thailand's zoos with often bizarre animal shows are under fire from animal lovers, critical both of the tourists who show no care for the species other than a chance for entertainment and having their photo taken, and the business exploitation and welfare of the animals critics say have nothing to do with conservation and education, but profit. As most of the world shifts towards humane and natural eco-tourism, wildlife lovers say the attractions will only diminish Thailand’s reputation. (EPA photo)
Witnesses at the scene said Goudie, of Melbourne, stepped inside a cage to pet one of a 15-month-old cat. Suddenly, the animal unexpectedly attacked and a park attendant dragged the victim to safety. He suffered bites to both legs and stomach. He underwent one surgical procedure, with more scheduled.
Tiger Kingdom opened in Phuket in August 2013 and draws hundreds of tourist per day. The park allows them to enter several different tiger enclosures, posing for photographs with the chained and drugged adult tigers - sometimes even sitting on their backs - and feeding bottles to cubs.
Tiger and other animal parks in Thailand have been drawing increasing amounts of criticism, not only due to treatment of the animals that activists and many tourists say is cruel, but because the wild animals, despite their sedation, occasionally still resort to their natural instincts.
A 19-year-old British tourists suffered permanent scarring at Tiger Temple park in the Kanchanaburi last year when a fully-grown tiger knocked her down and bit her leg. In 2011, a Thai woman suffered severe head and arm injuries after being mauled at the Million Years Stone Park in Pattaya. And in 2009, a New Zealand tourist was hospitalised for weeks after she set off an attack by touching tiger's head at the Khumsu Chiang Mai Tiger Centre in northern Thailand.