Jonathan Kraft, the director of Keepers of the Wild, an animal sanctuary in Arizona, magically escaped a tiger attack thanks to help from his colleagues. We’ll tell you how they did it, and what provoked the normally docile tiger to attack.
Why Did the Normally Docile Tiger Attack?
A heavy rainstorm was going on at the time, when Kraft decided to move the 11-year-old tiger to a safer location. The sanctuary said in a statement that Kraft was more concerned about the animal’s safety than his own, and a failed safety protocol was the main culprit.
“Jonathan was concerned for the welfare of several large cats in his approximate area including the tiger and took unilateral action to allow them access to protection from the elements. During that process, a safety protocol had obviously failed resulting in the incident.”
Kraft is now recovering in a hospital in Las Vegas, and is expected to take several months to heal from the multiple broken bones and wounds that he suffered during the attack.
What Will Happen to the Tiger?
The tiger that attacked is named Bowie, and was previously owned as a pet. He’d only been at the sanctuary since last year, and had problems walking because he had been declawed when he was still a young cub.
A statement from the sanctuary says that Kraft had “made the decision to shift Bowie’s gates to allow him access to his den box area. During the process, the usual docile behaving Bowie exhibited unusual conduct by suddenly pushing the gates prior to Jonathan being able to secure the clips.”
It was at this moment that Bowie bit down on Kraft, and thankfully his colleagues were nearby, who helped to pry him from the tiger’s jaws.
Bowie will not be euthanized, as he was clearly acting out of fear, and because safety protocols that were put in place to protect both humans and animals were not properly followed.
