Tiger mauls man at Florida Everglades attraction
An image of a tiger at the Wooten's Animal Sanctuary & Alligator Park.
MIAMI - A tiger mauled a worker at a Florida Everglades attraction, officials said.
The attack occurred around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wooten’s Animal Sanctuary & Alligator Park in Ochopee, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
"We are having a hard time comprehending this happening again," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
A caretaker was feeding a tiger in its enclosure when another 50-year-old worker who wasn’t authorized to be with the tiger entered the enclosure, deputies said. The tiger attacked him and caused injuries to both of his arms, officials said.
EMS took him to Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers but his condition was unknown.
The tiger’s caretaker was able to safely contain the tiger, officials said and it was not injured.
Wooten's issued a statement saying: "All of us at Wooten’s offer our sincere sympathies to the employee and his family, and wish him a speedy recovery."
Wooten’s says it is licensed to care for tigers by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the US Department of Agriculture. It's website lists that it has 2 tigers.
In December, a custodial worker was mauled by a tiger at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens after entering an unauthorized area. A Collier County deputy shot the animal as its jaws were wrapped around the man’s arm.
With the Associated Press.