Tiger mauls former Las Vegas artist at Wildlife Sanctuary



[ad_1]

A Bengal tiger manhandled a director of an Arizona animal sanctuary, seriously injuring him while he was trying to move a group of felines during a violent storm this week, announced the shrine.

Jonathan Kraft, 73, former Las Vegas illusionist, executive director of Garders Park of the Wild Nature Park in Valentine, was injured several times and had two broken bones when the 11-year-old Bowie tiger was found dead. is suddenly seized from him. him with his strong teeth Monday, the shrine said in a statement.

At the time of the incident, the storm was intensifying and the natural park was closed to the public, according to the sanctuary.

Kraft has taken "unilateral measures" to remove them from the elements and take them to another place in the sanctuary, worrying several large cats, including Bowie, including in the sanctuary, the statement said.

In the process, a "security protocol had obviously failed," according to sanctuary officials.

"Jonathan made the decision to move Bowie's gates to allow him access to his safe haven," the statement said. "During the process, Bowie, with generally docile behavior, showed unusual behavior by pushing the doors sharply before Jonathan was able to secure the safety clips. Animal Care staff was quick to help Jonathan and keep him away from the tiger. Although Bowie does not have an earlier claw, he took advantage of his strong teeth to hang on to Jonathan. "

The first responders rushed Kraft to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and then was transported to Las Vegas for further treatment, according to the sanctuary. His recovery should take several months.

Meanwhile, Bowie is fine and is resting, said the shrine. He will not be euthanized as a result of the attack.

"Close contact with wild exotic and native species has not been a practice for many years," Kraft said in its statement. "My accident with Bowie was my fault. I was worried about his well being and I did not stay focused on him. It only takes a fraction of a second to a captive wild animal to return to his instinctive behavior. These situations occur when there is human error. "

Bowie arrived at the shrine in September 2018. According to the shrine, he was declawed while he was small, causing lameness on both feet.

Years ago, Kraft became the first local artist to stop using big cats in his performances – and urged other artists to do the same.

[ad_2]

Source link