A 32 year old man is lucky to be alive after being attacked by a tiger yesterday whilst feeding it at the Elephant Kingdom park in Pattaya. Only quick action from park staff prevented the man from being mauled and killed by the animal. Emergency responders were called to the scene at around 3.30pm at the Elephant Kingdom in Huay Yai, Banglamung.
The injured man, named as Thitiphong Makkarom, suffered injuries to his legs, arms side of his face. He was rushed to hospital. Friends and fellow workers say that Thitiphong was feeding 3 tigers inside a cage as normal. The park has been closed due to the lack of tourists. They told reporters that Thitiphong had never had problems with these tigers before.
But one of the tigers “jumped” at the worker and started attacking him, apparently unprovoked. Nearby staff saw what was happening and rushed to help pull him away from the attacking tiger. Their quick action probably saved him from being killed.
The Elephant Kingdom Park has been closed since the start of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Thailand back in March. But staff have remained employed to continue feeding and taking care of the animals. The incident is now being investigated and police say they will interview Thitiphong when he is able to speak to them.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
