Dreamworld tiger bites handler for second time

Dreamworld tiger

A tiger at Dreamworld has biten its handler for the second time.
Source: The Courier-Mail




AN ill-tempered tiger has struck again at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld, biting a handler for the second time in four months.


Kato, a nine-year-old male Bengal tiger, attacked the handler at the park’s Tiger Island attraction on Sunday morning, leaving a laceration in his calf.

The senior handler was taken to Pindara Private Hospital where the wound was to be scrubbed under general anaesthetic to reduce the risk of infection.

In May, a different handler was also taken to hospital with several puncture wounds after what Dreamworld life sciences manager Al Mucci described at the time as a ‘love bite’ from Kato.

Mr Mucci said that incident was more serious than today’s but Kato’s cantankerous behaviour was again under the microscope.

He said it was uncertain what was causing the tiger to lash out but suspected the animal was ‘frustrated’ at the other male tigers.

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“In the wild, male tigers live solitary lives but in captivity, they socialize and the handlers act as referees,” he said.

“Sometimes, the tigers become frustrated and the handlers will cop a bump.”

Mr Mucci said the incident would be fully investigated and handling procedures reviewed.

“If I could talk to animals I’d say ‘Kato, what’s going on mate?’ but unfortunately I can’t,” he said.

Mr Mucci said Kato was a prime breeding tiger and there were no plans at this stage to trade him for a more placid animal.

He said Kato was rarely on display and the incident had happened before Tiger Island opened to the public.

Dreamworld recently stopped its long-running tiger walk program, where the tigers are walked through the park on leads.

However, Mr Mucci said safety concerns were not behind the move. Rather, he said, Dreamworld was looking at introducing different tiger attractions.

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