The tiger later became aggressive and suddenly attacked the tourist, who could be heard screaming. SIDHARTH SHUKLA/X via ST/ANN
PHUKET: An Indian tourist was attacked by a tiger at an animal attraction park in Thailand while he was attempting to take a selfie with the big cat, sparking a debate about the ethics of wildlife tourism.
A 25-second video of the attack posted by Sidharth Shukla on X on May 29 has gone viral, with over 3.7 million views.
“Apparently an Indian man attacked by a tiger in Thailand. This is one of those places where they keep tigers like pets and people can take selfies, feed them etc etc,” Sidharth said.
It is not known when the incident at Phuket’s Tiger Kingdom took place.
In the video, the unidentified male tourist is first seen walking with the chained tiger, with a trainer following closely.
He stops and kneels next to the animal, while the trainer is seen using a stick to instruct the tiger to sit.
The tiger becomes aggressive and suddenly attacks the tourist, who can be heard screaming. The screaming goes on for ten seconds before the footage ends abruptly.
Amid concern for the man’s wellbeing, Sidharth said the tourist survived with “minor injuries”.
A few commentators noted that the lower back is one of the sensitive parts of a feline’s body.
“Cats generally do not like being petted on the lower (back) body especially near (the) butt. This man was petting the tiger continuously near above mentioned body area which must have frustrated the tiger. Final straw was when the man cupped it for a photo,” said kdmangale on X.
Some also expressed concerns over what they saw as the exploitation of wild animals for tourism.
An X user with the handle Buka Coin said places that keep wild animals for tourists to feed or take pictures with often put both the creatures and humans at risk.
Buka Coin expressed hopes that this incident will spark “better awareness and safer, more humane wildlife tourism”.
Sanjay Madrasi Pandey claimed the wild animals at such attractions are often heavily drugged to appear docile, but it would not inhibit their true nature.
“As the sedation fades, a tiger can turn violent, posing a grave threat. Responsible travel demands caution and respect for the untamed power of wildlife.” - The Straits Times/ANN
