Tiger bites handler at Australian amusement park

MELBOURNE, Australia — A tiger bit an animal handler on the arm Monday at an Australian amusement park, officials said.

The woman was taken by ambulance from Dreamworld in Coomera in Queensland state to the Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition, Queensland Ambulance Service director Justin Payne said.

Staff managed the bleeding as an ambulance was called to Dreamworld just before 9 a.m., Payne said. The amusement park opens to the public at 10 a.m.

“We were advised that at that location a 47-year-old female, an experienced handler, had been bitten by one of the tigers,” Payne said.

“The patient obviously had received some serious lacerations and puncture wounds from the animal. She was quite pale and feeling unwell, but generally well,” Payne added.

Dreamworld says on its website that it has nine Sumatran and Bengal tigers at its Tiger Island exhibit.

The amusement park, which has rides as well as animal exhibits, described the attack in a statement as an “isolated and rare incident” that would be investigated.