An animal handler was mauled by one of the tigers at Dreamworld theme park in Australia, proving the park to be anything but a dream the other day. The woman was one of the more experienced handlers at the park. However, that did not stop the tiger from biting her. The park hadn't opened yet when the tiger attacked, so there were limited witnesses as this tiger mauled its handler.
Tiger Mauls Handler At Dreamworld Theme Park
The NY Post reports that the attack happened just before 9:00 a.m., an hour before the park opened to its guests. As of now, the park is unsure of what prompted this tiger to attack its handler. Dreamworld argues that it is not often that a tiger mauls its handler and that this was a "rare" and "isolated" incident.
However, local reports claim otherwise. According to those reports, the park has a history of tiger attacks. One such attack occurred in "2011 when a then nine-year-old Bengal tiger bit and injured two animal handlers." This tiger mauled his 47-year-old handler and sent her to the hospital.
The handler, who remains unidentified, was transported to Queensland's Gold Coast hospital. The Ambulance Service director, Justin Payne, gave the NY Post an update on her condition. He stated,
"The patient obviously had recieved some serious lacerations and puncture wounds from the animal. She was quite pale and feeling unqell, but generall well."
What Happens Next
Dreamworld told crowds and news sources that their "immediate focus is on the support of the team member." As they continue to claim that this is a "rare" incident, it does not seem like any measures are being taken to close the tiger exhibit.
Dreamworld's Tiger Island attraction is one of its most popular, attracting millions of visitors yearly. They even offer "visitors age 13 and older the opportunity to feed the tigers using tongs for 15 minutes." However, after this incident in which a tiger mauled its handler, it remains to be seen how many people are willing to feed the tigers now.
