An “experienced” animal handler has been left with serious injuries after a tiger mauled her in a “rare” attack at a theme park in Australia, officials said.
The woman, 47, was attacked by the tiger while she was working Monday morning at Dreamworld, a major tourist attraction on Queensland’s Gold Coast that also includes a wildlife park, according to local Queensland Ambulance Service director Justin Payne.
“We were advised that at that location a 47-year-old female, an experienced handler, had been bitten by one of the tigers,” Payne said.
“The patient obviously had received some serious lacerations and puncture wounds from the animal. She was quite pale and feeling unwell, but generally well.”
Payne said an ambulance was called to Dreamworld just before 9 a.m. local time, an hour before the theme park opens to visitors.
The woman, whose identity was not released, was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition, Payne said.
It’s unclear what prompted the attack.
“She is one of the experienced and senior handlers there at Dreamworld… it’s good to see that she was able to be looked after by other support staff there,” Payne said.
The amusement park, which has rides as well as animal exhibits, described the attack in a statement as an “isolated and rare incident” that would be investigated.
“Dreamworld acknowledges an incident that occurred involving one of the park’s tigers and a trained tiger handler,” a spokesperson said.
“Dreamworld’s immediate focus is on the support of the team member. This was an isolated and rare incident, and we will conduct a thorough review accordingly.”
Dreamworld’s Tiger Island attraction is one of only a handful of interactive tiger exhibits in the world, according to the theme park.
The popular destination – which is visited by almost two million people every year – is home to nine Sumatran and Bengal tigers, according to Dreamworld’s website.
It opened almost three decades ago and hosts two shows a day, in which onlookers are invited to watch the animals “glide underwater” in a splash pool and eat their daily meals.
The park also offers visitors aged 13 and older the opportunity to feed the tigers using tongs for 15 minutes. Those aged 13 to 15 must be accompanied by a paying adult for this experience.
In 2011, a nine-year-old male Bengal tiger named Kato bit two separate handlers at the park.