Tiger "Bites Handler" at Dreamworld

[T-bone]

AMBULANCES have been called to Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast where a tiger handler has reportedly been bitten by a tiger. Paramedics were called to Dreamworld about 9.35am (local time) after a 30-year-old male employee was bitten by one of the animals, Kato, on his thigh, Brisbane's Courier-Mail reported. It is understood that the bite happened as the tigers were being taken from their pens to one of the park's main attractions, Tiger Island. The handler has been left with five deep puncture wounds on his lower thigh and upper calf. He was taken to Allamanda Private Hospital where he is in a stable condition. Read more: http://www.news.com....7#ixzz1N2YNmeG7

Sad, but just goes to show even the tamest, trained animals can get angry or annoyed at any time. Hopefully a full recovery is made.

[Gazza]

Still waiting for Whitsy's microanalysis of the incident....

Edited May 22, 2011 by Gazza

[MaxxTheMonster]

No I'm not a Greenpeace advocate, or vegan or any of that rubbish, but... this is what is going to happen when you keep wild animals. You can't get complacent with these things. They are wild. They are built to kill for survival. I remember someone once asked during their Q&A time at Tiger Island, "Do you even put any other living animals in with them that they can chase and kill." All the other guests laughed and the handler sort of gave a "you gotta be kidding me with that question" as he acknowledged himself and the other handlers in the enclosure.

[themeparkgc]

4 months later, it has happened again...

Tiger handler bitten at Dreamworld A TIGER has bitten its second handler in a year at Dreamworld. The nine-year-old male Bengal, called Kato, became agitated and bit his handler on the calf as it was being moved between enclosures this morning, said spokeswoman Melinda Lloyd. The handler is being treated in hospital for the minor injury. The same tiger bit another handler on the thigh earlier this year after the handler took too long to open a lock. Ms Lloyd said the theme park's policies would be examined following the incident, as they had been after the previous one. "We want to make sure everything is being done to its upmost so we'll definitely look into why this happened and how we can alter the procedures we have to make sure this doesn't happen again," she said. "We'll definitely look into why he's doing these things." But she stressed the incident was not serious. "Obviously a tiger would attack if it wanted to, so they're not attacks," Ms Lloyd said. "That's the way a tiger will express what it needs to if it's agitated, that's how they pick up their young, that's how they pull their young into line and they'll do the same with handlers."

http://www.goldcoast...coast-news.html

[SwissDonkey]

I was there today - had no idea this happened till I got home. There were a couple of helicopters hanging around above the park just before it opened, I'm assuming they were news choppers.

[aussienetman]

When I was at tiger island recently one handler was actually punching the tiger in thr face as hard as he could.. this was explained as a training tool to show dominance but just left me with a sick feeling in my stomach...

[Brad2912]

WTF??? Really??!!?? That doesnt sound right at all! I have been to TI 100s of times and never seen that occur. Surely that would fall under animal cruelty guidelines...

[www worker]

I've seen the handlers do the same thing at Australia zoo so who knows it may be legal...

[SwissDonkey]

Tigers fight with other tigers. Pretty sure they can handle a few knocks to the head. (Yes, it's a legit training technique, and no, it doesn't harm then. It's about as harmful to them as giving your dog a tap on the nose as disciple).

[aussienetman]

That's fine swiss... It'd why I prefer zoos with a no contact rule with the animals... I'll never ever be ok with what I saw at dw, regardless of whether it hurts the tiger or not. A little kid seeing a handler punch a tiger in the face does not convey a good message

[Gazza]

I wonder who actually figured out that punching a tiger in the face works? Its up there with the guy who discovered cows milk was drinkable.

[whitsy]

I say kudos to the tiger, They are living animals just like humans are... They should be free, Not be kept in cages/pens and be gawked at just for peoples amusement.

[CruiseSF]

I say kudos to the tiger, They are living animals just like humans are... They should be free, Not be kept in cages/pens and be gawked at just for peoples amusement.

Well they are better off at Dreamworld then in the wild. Due to the struggle they are having in the wild. Even though they should be in the wild, they are safe at Dreamworld.

[Brad2912]

I say kudos to the tiger, They are living animals just like humans are... They should be free, Not be kept in cages/pens and be gawked at just for peoples amusement.

You clearly have no knowledge of the plight of tigers in the wild. If not for organizations with conservation and breeding programs like DW then tigers would become extinct in no time. It's sad but reality that in 50-60 years is it extremely likely that there will be no tigers left in the world. DW does an amazing job in raising much needed funds for research and conservation efforts oversees that try to extend that short amount of time tigers have left in the wild.

[Slick]

I don't get all of the negativity regarding Tiger Island? It's without a doubt a world-class facility and what's more is that they're always adding to it to be able to accommodate more animals for more breeding programs both nationally and internationally. And the back of house are exceptional, too - the kind of veterinary and dietary care those tigers/cougars receive is above and beyond what the RSPCA (you know those people who are against animal cruelty? Yeah, those ones) considers as acceptable conditions. The only perceived con about the facility is that it's not a "sanctuary" or "wildlife" sized space but rather the animals are kept in cages. (Because shit, the Coomera State School 200m down the road is a perfect place to let the tigers loose on a human/animal Discovery channel experiment, right? Tiger jailbait everywhere, man). And I totally get that. But get that tigers aren't pack animals. They are solitary, territorial, animals, so having 11 large cages instead of one big sanctuary makes sense. Half a dozen solitary animals in the same area in a "sanctuary" environment doesn't make any sense, and it means either constant human interference to keep the animals from fighting or have less animals altogether, which greatly reduces the breeding program possibilities. But since they're hand-raised and don't know any different and the "caged" environments are very spacious and the tigers are walked and exercised "literally" 24/7, I hardly see what's so bad it all really. We get to continue to see these beautiful animals in the wild through said breeding programs and donations from daily demonstrations, they're well looked after, and most importantly they're trained and not tamed with their handlers so that mutual respect is obtained and the handlers can literally play and cuddle with the tigers instead of being three feet away, gun-cocked, in hand, just incase it goes down. What's the diff and why have human interaction, you ask? With the amount of health checks the tigers go through at the facility, it's much easier on the tiger to train them to sit and stand in certain positions and be amenable to a vet's check on command instead of having to sedate animals on a regular basis to achieve the same thing. And what's more, the training not only allows them to be more capable in different environments for breeding but means you can see them in a show do various tigerly things that raises more awareness which = more donations which = more wild tigers which = no extinction anytime soon. And if they're trained, get that they're still wild predatory animals that all have different personalities and most importantly, work 90% from body language, which is a total opposite from humans, so for them to nip or bite, especially if a handler has their back turned or isn't showing the correct body language for a tiger, is totally bound to happen. From what I understand, and it's at best a theory, but tigers don't think ahead about the possible police charges and court hearings they might need to attend when they feel agitated in a certain environment and have to use their body language to show their emotion. I'd actually go so far to say that the fact that it's a nip is a testament to the tiger/handler relationship, and the fact that the tiger didn't freak out and decide to "maul a bitch" but instead decided to nip and back off to show its feelings (as a wild animal at the top of the food chain which naturally doesn't care if it seriously hurts or kills another animal) is actually pretty damned amazing. Also, hate to be crass Aussienetman, but if you have a problem with your children seeing pretty basic predator/human interaction like a punch in the head, then either educate them about the difference or don't take them there. I'm so anti nanny-nation, and i'm hopeful we don't have to have a warning sticker outside areas like this so that parents from the likes of Beenleigh or Logan (i.e. bogans) don't sue because their uneducated kids decided to sucker punch their cat and then didn't expect their family pet to go apeshit. How else are you going to obtain mutual respect from such a large wild animal and be able to comfortably exist in the same space? Asking it nicely to not bite you or carry a weapon around in fear of an attack? They're the only two choices outside of what the handlers currently do, and from what I can see it's an amazing thing they do. And now everybody reading this thread knows better. Good job internets.

[aussienetman]

Is it good to be on that high horse slick? Just to clarify my original post. I don't agree with DW punching tigers in thr face. I don't have kids. You might rrmeber slick that I have paid for a behind the scenes tour of the animal facilities at dreamworld. Just by paying for this tour I was contributing to their animal program. Slick, i watch animal documentaries nearly every day of my life. I have absolutly no problem seeing animals attack and kill each other. Watching a human literally sitting there swinging his fist into a tiger's face not once, but 6-7 times. while the tiger is laying prone and submissive does not sit right with me.

[whitsy]

These animals don't belong in a theme park, They should be released in a wildlife sanctuary where they can be free rather be locked up in tiny cages. Disgusting.

[Gazza]

I wonder if at marine parks they punch dolphins in the face?

[themeparkgc]

Calls to close Tiger Island after attack ANIMAL welfare groups are demanding Dreamworld's Tiger Island attraction be scrapped after another handler was bitten yesterday, just months after a similar attack. The senior handler was taken to hospital after he was bitten on the leg about 8.30am yesterday while transporting Kato, a 200kg bengal tiger, from one enclosure to another. He is expected to be released from hospital today. Kato is renowned as the park's most boisterous feline; this is the third time he has turned on a handler. Dreamworld's life sciences manager Al Mucci said the bite was only minor, calling it more of a "love bit". But Animal Liberation Queensland president Annette Guice said trainers shouldn't be so quick to dismiss these incidents, saying tigers should not be held captive. Dreamworld scrapped its tiger walk attraction after handler Dan Jans was attacked in May but people visiting the theme park can still be photographed patting or feeding a tiger.

http://www.goldcoast...coast-news.html

[Lotl_90]

I wholly agree with Slicks's comments above. Knowing very well how much time, work, passion and energy the TI team put into everything they do, and seeing the outcomes of their work on a daily basis leaves room for nothing but the highest respect for them and the work that they do. Anyone who discredits them for their practices either has no idea how the majority of facilities around the world work, or is blissfully ignorant of the needs and requirements of Tigers in captivity. Each of those cages are 30m2, and contain large den boxes, which, considering the Tigers sleep 16-18 hours a day, and tend to sleep most of the night away is more than enough room for them. There are also a number of day yards and other enclosures which now include the lair which are available for the cats to be rotated in and out of throughout the day. Not many other facilities can provide this sort of enrichment for their animals. Hitting the Cat 6-7 times seems a little excessive but some of the younger cats require a lot of discipline at times. Its the consistent discipline from all members of the Tiger Island team that make all the difference, and mean that more events like this bite don't happen. Having the cats know that biting and scratching the handlers will recieve discipline is a really critical part of the hand-raising process, and with the exception of kato, no other adult cats have any real issues with handlers and are very aware of acceptable behaviours. Did you see the period of time before the cat was hit several times? Was it the first time he/she had attempted the behaviour in a period of time, or was it a repetitive display of bad behaviour? Different situations call for different levels of discipline, and I'm sorry if this sounds rude and it is by no means any form of personal comment to anyone, but unless you're an expert in hand-rearing large animals i'm going to run with the skills and knowledge of the experienced handlers to make the call on what is and what is not appropriate discipline. /twocents.