Melbourne man mauled by tiger at Phuket wildlife park
A Melbourne man is recovering in hospital in Thailand after being mauled by a tiger at a popular tourist wildlife park.
Paul Goudie, a truck driver from Hoppers Crossing, suffered bites to both legs and his stomach during the attack at Phuket's Tiger Kingdom.
The 49-year-old stepped inside an enclosure to pose for a photograph during an organised tour with relatives when one of the larger tigers suddenly and unexpectedly turned on him.
"We did everything the park people advised," Mr Goudie told a Phuket newspaper from his hospital bed. "I'm not sure why it bit me.
"When it did, I had no choice but to whack it in the face a couple of times."
Mr Goudie's son, Jake, who witnessed the attack said staff at the facility used a taser to subdue the tiger.
"We all heard the taser go off. I heard him screaming 'Get off me. And that's when I knew it was my dad," Jake said.
Paul was taken to Phuket's International Hospital for treatment.
The family was on the fourth day of a two-week trip in Thailand.
Tiger Kingdom opened in Phuket in August last year and sees hundreds of visitors pass through its doors everyday.
Visitors can pay to venture into a host of tiger cages to pat and feed the animals, or have a photo taken.
Before entering the tiger enclosures, visitors are asked to remove loose items of clothing, jewellery, and sign a disclaimer denying the facility of any responsibility in the event of an accident.
Thailand's tiger parks have become increasingly popular tourist attractions in recent years, and although attacks are rare, they do happen.
It is understood the tiger involved in the mauling has been retired and is no longer in contact with visitors.
News break - October 23
