PHUKET: The Tiger Kingdom attraction on Phuket, where a tourist was mauled last week, has reopened its Big Cat enclosure to visitors without first gaining official permission from authorities.
The Director of Wildlife Conservation Office 5, Jeerasak Chukamdee, said today from his base in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat that Tiger Kingdom was not allowed to reopen the Big Cat enclosure until officials had checked to make sure it was safe.
''I have yet to receive any information from Tiger Kingdom,'' he said.
Australian tourist Paul Goudie, 49, was bitten on the legs and in the stomach by a 15-month-old male tiger in the Big Cat enclosure on Tuesday last week.
The Big Cat enclosure was closed on Thursday last week. It reopened yesterday, according to staff at Tiger Kingdom.
A spokesperson at Tiger Kingdom said today that the tiger involved in the mauling was no longer in the enclosure, which contained five tigers when Mr Goudie was mauled.
The Big Cat enclosure is one of three caged areas where tourists can pose with the tigers and have souvenir photographs taken. The other enclosures contain smaller tigers.
Khun Jeerasak said today that he would send his staff to investigate and refer the issue to his boss in Bangkok, the Director General of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
After the mauling, Mr Goudie, a truck driver, said he did not blame Tiger Kingdom or the tiger for the mauling. The reaction of staff had been ''absolutely fantastic,'' he said.
A taser was used to subdue the tiger while Mr Goudie was dragged from the enclosure and taken to a Phuket City hospital, where he was due to have corrective surgery to his left leg and stomach last week.
The Director of Wildlife Conservation Office 5, Jeerasak Chukamdee, said today from his base in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat that Tiger Kingdom was not allowed to reopen the Big Cat enclosure until officials had checked to make sure it was safe.
''I have yet to receive any information from Tiger Kingdom,'' he said.
Australian tourist Paul Goudie, 49, was bitten on the legs and in the stomach by a 15-month-old male tiger in the Big Cat enclosure on Tuesday last week.
The Big Cat enclosure was closed on Thursday last week. It reopened yesterday, according to staff at Tiger Kingdom.
A spokesperson at Tiger Kingdom said today that the tiger involved in the mauling was no longer in the enclosure, which contained five tigers when Mr Goudie was mauled.
The Big Cat enclosure is one of three caged areas where tourists can pose with the tigers and have souvenir photographs taken. The other enclosures contain smaller tigers.
Khun Jeerasak said today that he would send his staff to investigate and refer the issue to his boss in Bangkok, the Director General of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
After the mauling, Mr Goudie, a truck driver, said he did not blame Tiger Kingdom or the tiger for the mauling. The reaction of staff had been ''absolutely fantastic,'' he said.
A taser was used to subdue the tiger while Mr Goudie was dragged from the enclosure and taken to a Phuket City hospital, where he was due to have corrective surgery to his left leg and stomach last week.
Just another big company giving Thai authorities the middle finger. Normal life will carry on as usual.
Posted by Duncan B on October 30, 2014 11:37