AYUDHAYA: Taming big cats, whether they are lions or tigers, generally requires a long period of dedicated training – and no small amount of skill and courage.

After a drinking session recently, one man in Ayudaya Province persuaded his zoo-keeper friend to let him have a go at taming a large tiger – with sadly predictable results.

Prasert Yomprakong, originally from Surin Province, went to visit his friend who worked at Pang Chang Elephant Village in Ayudhaya on the afternoon of February 12 .

The two old friends bought some liquor and sat drinking the afternoon away outside the village.

Thirty-eight year old Prasert, his courage fortified by drink, soon began to express an interest in the village’s tiger collection.

He begged his friend to let him accompany him into a tiger cage so he could see how the tigers were fed and looked after. He also wanted to practice controlling them, he said.

After some browbeating, Prasert’s friend agreed and the pair headed off to the enclosure of a female cat named Pinky.

Pinky, however, was unimpressed by having a drunken man staggering around her cage trying to tame her, so when Prasert’s back was turned, she pounced and gave him a severe mauling.

After being freed, Prasert was rushed to Phranakhon Sri Ayutthaya Hospital to be treated. Dr Bantoon Bunmeesuk said that Prasert had to have stitches for severe lacerations in his cheek, neck and right thigh, but declared him out of danger.

He will be kept in hospital while the wounds heal so that doctors can keep a close watch for infection, Dr Bantoon added.

This is not the first time a visitor has been injured by a tiger at Bang Chang. Last year, a child was injured after taunting another tiger, imaginatively named “Tiger”.

The manager of the park, Phaisan Ariwongsakul, said that he would pay for all of Prasert’s medical expenses.

The manager did not say whether Pinky would be punished for her attack.

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Source: Kom Chad Luek/Phuket Gazette

There was a similar incident in san fransisco zoo a couple of weeks ago, this type of stupidity has become common in zoo,s all over the world,mothers lifting their babies over safety barriers to let them play with the monkeys, or daddy showing his kids how to scratch an elephants tongue getting his hand and lower arm crushed in the process, another good one an american tour guide showing his tour group the correct way to handfeed Wild Boar , he lost his hand before any of the staff could stop him. Through the many animal and wildlife films many people think theyno how to handle animals, I remember picking up a consignment of Bactrian Camels from Frankfurt railway station , to protect our selves we were armed with brooms ,some nosy git reported us to the local RSPCA, who turned up immediately accompanied by police and TV reporters and cameramen.You can imagine the headlines Zootraders beating helpless camels we tried to explain that fullgrown camel stallions were extremely dangerous, Guess what?? one of the Rspca officials had ridden a camel in Egypt, so he would demonstrate how to get the camels out of the freight wagons with love and kindness, we advised him about going in empty handed but he would not listen, in he went, out charged a stallion covered in blood ,we went in to the wagon there lay the poor bugger with half his shoulder missing the camel had bit ahuge chunk out of him, moral of this little anecdote leave it to the experts, we get paid to be bitten, by the way the german gentleman , survived but only just , Nignoy

Ist class alliteration SBK, you should write for the Sun!