A Tiger attacked a zoo worker at an Oklahoma animal park on Saturday. The animal ripped apart the workers arm after she stuck her hand into the wild animals enclosure.
The attack, which left doctors trying to save the workers left arm, occurred at Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Wynnewood.
According to park owner Joe Schreibvogel, “He tore her arm up pretty bad. Her entire arm was still attached. It was badly, badly damaged.”
The parks owner adds: “She pulled her own arm out. The tiger didn’t maul her. The tiger was in his cage, and she violated his space by sticking her arm into his space.”
As expected the park has a “no body parts” in an enclosure rule, specifically to avoid this type of action from a wild animal.
The female worker in question was in charge of the parks cats. Schreibvogel says “when you work with these things every day, you tend to let your guard down and think they’re pets, that they’re like dogs. They’re not — they’re tigers.”
Cynthia Armstrong, the Oklahoma director of the Humane Society of the United States told OKCFox.com that the park has a history of safety and animal welfare issues.
The Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park does not have full accreditation like state run and larget zoos. Schreibvogel says this was the first major incident of injury since the park opened in 1997.
The Tiger attack was at the hands of a 14-year-old mixed breed that was rescued and brought to the park.
Should the worker decide she wants to return to the job it will be waiting for her after she recovers from her injury.
