30.05.2025 15:00
A tourist's attempt to take a selfie with a giant tiger in Thailand turned into an attack. The tourist was petting the tiger's back and wrapped his arms around it to take a photo when the tiger struck. The video of the incident went viral, and viewers criticized the dangerous trend of tourists being lured into risky photo opportunities with wild animals. The tourist emerged from the incident at Tiger Kingdom in Phuket with minor injuries.
An man in Thailand was attacked while trying to take a selfie with a giant tiger, and the shocking moments were captured on camera.
The disturbing video footage shows the excited tourist crouching next to the animal and throwing his arm over its back. Then the tiger attacks him.
The man is heard screaming in fear as he falls to the ground. The tiger's trainer desperately struggles to get the animal off the man.
The trainer fights with the powerful predator for several heart-stopping seconds, eventually managing to calm it down.
At the beginning of the video, the tourist is seen safely guiding the animal with a rope and petting its fur—completely unaware of the brutal attack that is about to happen.
The video of the incident went viral, with viewers sharing their thoughts on what happened in the comments.
One person wrote: "Cats generally do not like being petted on the lower (back) part of their body. This man continuously petted the tiger near the mentioned body area, which must have annoyed the tiger. The last straw was when he wrapped his arms around it for a photo."
Another added: "This frightening video highlights the dangerous trend of tourists being lured into risky photo ops with tigers in Thailand."
A third person said: "The problem is not the petting (which is also foolish and not recommended), but holding the tiger from behind while posing. Cats do not like being restrained. The cat may interpret this as a sign of dominance."
Fortunately, the man only sustained minor injuries following the incident at the famous Tiger Kingdom in Phuket.
This is not the only case recently where a tourist faced the consequences of trying to interact with a wild animal.
Earlier this month, a hippopotamus knocked a female tourist to the ground after she ignored warnings not to approach it.
The footage shows the angry animal charging at the woman and slamming her face-first into the ground, while onlookers watch in horror.
The person behind the camera shouts that it is going to "attack," and tells a child, as the woman approaches the animal, "this is called stupid."
The child responds, "she's not listening." The hefty creature charges at her, knocking her into the grass and fleeing the scene in St Lucia on Tuesday night.
The cameraman shouts "you’re stupid" as the stunned woman stumbles away, leaning on a man to get up.
A video shared on the "St Lucia News" Facebook page noted that "warnings are posted throughout the town," but that "people still take foolish risks when approaching hippos."
Another Facebook page, "Unofficial: Into the Wild," added: "Visitors are told by lodges, guesthouse owners, and businesses to stay away from hippos. But some people do not listen. They are very lucky not to have been seriously injured or killed. Their foolish behavior has made the hippo potentially more aggressive towards humans."
According to local media, the tourists involved in the incident were ordered to leave St Lucia, and accommodations were advised not to take reservations from them in the future.
The Zululand Observer reported, "An hour was given to evacuate the town, or they would face police action."