Tiger Attacks Handler at Australian Amusement Park

A tiger attacked its handler at Dreamworld, a popular amusement park on the Gold Coast, leaving the experienced worker hospitalized with serious injuries, CNN reports.

The incident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. local time on Monday, when the unnamed 47-year-old handler was working with one of the park’s nine tigers.

According to the Queensland Ambulance Service, the handler sustained “serious lacerations and puncture wounds” to her arm.

Park staff were able to restrain the tiger before paramedics arrived. The handler, described as “quite pale and feeling unwell,” is currently in a stable condition at Gold Coast University Hospital.

“Thankfully on their arrival the bleeding had been managed very well by first aid providers there at Dreamworld,” said Queensland Ambulance Service acting district director Justin Payne, praising the quick response of the park’s staff.

Dreamworld released a statement calling the attack an “isolated and rare incident” and stating that their “immediate focus is on the support of the team member.” The park declined to comment on the welfare of the tiger involved in the attack.

Despite the incident, Dreamworld remained open to the public on Monday.

The park’s Tiger Island exhibit, known for its “interactive” experience where visitors can “get so close you could feel the breath of a tiger,” allows guests to feed some of the nine Bengal and Sumatran tigers housed there.

This is not the first time a tiger has injured staff at Dreamworld. In 2011, a 160-kilogram Bengal tiger named Keto bit two handlers in two separate incidents, according to local media reports.