Bits and Bites from Around the World > Long-time zoo keeper mauled to death by lions in Thailand

 

How often do you hear of wild animals in zoos turning on their keepers? And, more often than not, they are long-time keepers who mistakenly trusted the animals. Did this keeper not see any signs of unrest in the animals? Were there cameras working where they could study the pride for signs that might help future keepers to 'read the room' as it were?

 

Zookeeper mauled to death by lions in front of visitors at Thailand safari park

By Katie Scott  Global News

Posted September 12, 2025 12:22 pm

 3 min read

A longtime zookeeper in Thailand was mauled to death by a pack of lions in front of tourists at Safari World Bangkok.

The fatal attack took place on Sept. 10 at about 11 a.m. local time when an employee stepped out of his vehicle. He was mauled for about 15 minutes, according to Thai News Agency.

Sadudee Punpugdee, wildlife protection director of the Department of National Parks, told AFP that the employee, identified as Jian Rangkarassamee, 58, was “a zoo staff member who usually fed the lions.”

Punpugdee added that the staff member was “mauled by six or seven of the big cats when he stepped out of his car.”

An autopsy found that Rangkarassamee suffered multiple deep lacerations, a broken neck and ruptured arteries.

The zoo has now temporarily closed its predator zone, where the lions were kept, and the lions have been confined to cages for close monitoring, according to CBS News. The zoo has also closed off its big cat section until repairs and improvements are completed.

The Department of National Parks’ (DNP) wildlife conservation director, Chalerm Poommai, shared inspection results with AFP on Friday, revealing that there were damaged fences, inadequate warning signs and not enough CCTV cameras on-site.

Poommai also revealed that the zoo’s permit expired last October and is still awaiting renewal.

“The zoo needs to meet safety standards to prevent such an incident from happening again,” he said.

After the attack, Safari World Bangkok said it would “urgently investigate and strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents.”

“The company places the highest importance on the safety of all tourists and employees, emphasizing the importance of not getting out of the vehicle while visiting the open zoo, especially in the wild animal zone,” the park said in a Facebook post.

Edwin Wiek, from Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), said the group would like to “express our sincere condolences to the deceased animal keeper.”

“This incident should serve as a stark reminder that these animals, even when raised by humans from birth, still pose a serious threat to human life that can be triggered without warning,” Wiek wrote in a statement on Facebook.

WFFT also called on Thai authorities to “prohibit the uncontrolled breeding of lions by anyone other than licensed zoos, and to ban the keeping of lions and other dangerous species by private individuals in homes, coffee shops, entertainment venues, and other public places.”

World Animal Protection Thailand called for Safari World to “relocate the lions, who have done nothing wrong other than exhibit their natural behaviors, to a sanctuary.”

“Forcing apex predators like lions to perform puts both people and animals to unacceptable risks. It is important to recognize that lions and other wild animals retain their natural instincts and defensive behaviors. For them, these are normal, but for humans the consequences are deadly,” the group wrote in a statement.

The statement went on to say that research shows that “the captive lion population in Thailand has increased from 131 in 2018 to 444 in 2024,” an “alarming” growth of 239 per cent in just six years.

“Even more concerning, private ownership of lions has reportedly surged by over 1,300%. This raises grave welfare and safety risks, alongside links to illegal wildlife trade,” they added.

Safari World Bangkok claims to be one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos, where visitors can explore the wildlife sanctuary by car or on foot, according to its website. It’s also known for its staged shows, including hula-hooping elephants, synchronized swimming dolphins and kickboxing orangutans.

The incident at Safari World Bangkok marks the second fatal animal attack at a Thai wildlife park this year.

Earlier this year, a 22-year-old tourist was killed by an elephant at a sanctuary after the animal turned on her while she was bathing it.

Spanish newspapers El Mundo and El Pais reported that Blanca Ojanguren García, from Spain, was bathing an elephant alongside her boyfriend at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre on Jan. 3, when the elephant attacked her.

She was rushed to a local hospital, where she died.

Bits and Bites and Bee Stings from Around the World > Woman loses arm to lion in Aussie zoo; Attacked by Grizzly in northern B.C.; Bee attack in France sends 3 to hospital, 24 injured

 

Woman loses arm in lion attack at Australian zoo

By Darryl Coote

July 7 (UPI) -- A woman has lost her arm after being attacked by a lion at Queensland's Darling Downs Zoo over the weekend officials said.

The unidentified woman was attacked Sunday morning and was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, where she underwent surgery. Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the victim had lost an arm but was "recovering well" at the medical facility.

The zoo said the attack happened at around 8:30 a.m. local time Sunday.

It identified the woman in a statement as "a much-loved member of our family" who was "well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals."

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According to the zoo, the woman was watching keepers work in the carnivore precinct when, "inexplicably," one of the animals grabbed her by the arm, causing severe damage.

"At no stage did this animal leave its enclosure, and there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public," it said.

The zoo added that the attack occurred during an activity the woman "has done many, many times over the past 20 years."

"Police and Workplace Health and Safety personnel are investigating this incident and have been on site all morning," the zoo said. "The zoo is working with them to establish how this incident occurred, but the full details will not be known until our family member can be interviewed."

The zoo later clarified that the involved animal will neither be euthanized nor punished.

Last month, the zoo promoted its lions on its Facebook page, stating its managing director, Steven Robinson, and his wife, Stephanie, have been breeding lions since 1997 and moved their collection to the Darling Downs Zoo in 2002.

"Every day at 10 a.m., they are on supervised display to our visitors and are also available for some personalized encounters," the June post stated. "These encounters are strictly monitored to ensure their enjoyment of them and their wellbeing."

The zoo said it expects to reopen at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Man recovering from injuries after ‘defensive’ grizzly bear attack in B.C.

British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service says a man is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries after a grizzly bear attack in northern B.C. that the service has deemed “defensive in nature.”

According to a post on Facebook by the service, the attack took place at approximately 11 a.m. local time in a remote, fly-in location approximately 110 kilometres west of Fort Nelson, B.C., where a group was working in the area.

“The victim noticed a grizzly bear and two cubs nearby just as the sow charged,”  the service wrote. “The victim was bitten and scratched before the bear disengaged.”

Members of the work group helped the man, who was flown to hospital for treatment and has since been released. The entire group was evacuated from the area.

Conservation officers say the attack was determined to be defensive in nature following an investigation into the circumstances, which included interviewing both the victim and a witness.

As a result of the investigation, as well as the remote location, officials say no efforts are being made to capture or dispatch the bear.

Bee attack in southern France leaves 3 hospitalized, 24 injured

By Katie Scott  Global News

Posted July 7, 2025 12:42 pm

 2 min read

A rare bee attack in the French town of Aurillac left 24 people injured, including some critically, according to local authorities.

People walking in the south-central France town were stung over a period of 30 minutes on July 6, according to The Associated Press.

Firefighters and medical teams were rushed to the scene to treat the victims, while police set up a security perimeter until the bees stopped their attack.

Aurillac Mayor Pierre Mathonier told French broadcaster BFM TV on July 7 that the three people in critical condition were sent to a local hospital and their condition has since improved.

One of them, a 78-year-old, had to be resuscitated in the fire department’s ambulance after cardiorespiratory arrest. That person is now in stable condition, Mathonier said. The two others “are in good health,” he added.

Mathonier told the media that the bees may have become aggressive after their rooftop hives were attacked by Asian hornets. He said the rooftop beehives were installed in a downtown hotel more than 10 years ago.

He also said that the beekeeper has removed the beehive and relocated it outside of the town.

“All ended well,” Mathonier told the public television network France 3. “The emergency services were perfectly coordinated. There was no panic in Aurillac, but a number of people were stung.”

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Mathonier added that the 78-year-old victim was stung 25 times.

Lt. Col. Michel Cayla, in charge of the local fire services, said he had never experienced such an attack.

“In terms of the number of victims, the panic among the people and the severity of some of the injuries, it was impressive,” he told broadcaster TF1.

Reactions to stings from honeybees and wasps range in severity from minor to potentially fatal, according to the Mayo Clinic. In most cases, stings only cause a brief, sharp pain, along with slight swelling and redness.

If you’re allergic to insect venom, a more severe reaction, called anaphylaxis, can occur and require emergency medical attention, the Mayo Clinic explains.

Bits and Bites from Around the World > Woman taunts tiger in zoo; Woman injured after orcas attack yacht off Spain; 4 y/o smashes 3500 y/o jar in museum

 

Let me guess... She was either on drugs, or pitifully stupid...

Woman who climbed into zoo tiger enclosure charged with trespassing

By Sarah Do Couto  Global News

Posted August 28, 2024 9:47 am

 2 min read

Over a week after she was filmed hopping a fence to taunt a tiger at a New Jersey zoo, a 24-year-old woman has been charged with trespassing.

In a statement released Monday, the Bridgeton Police Department said the woman entered a restricted area adjacent to the Bengal tiger’s enclosure at the Cohanzick Zoo. She reached her hand into the cage before quickly pulling it back when the animal reacted aggressively.

The woman, identified as Zyair J. Dennis, was charged with defiant trespassing on Friday.

Police said Dennis also entered the restricted area of a bear enclosure during her visit to the Cohanzick Zoo on Aug. 18. Authorities said “there was similar video depicting the same scenario” near the fence to the bear cage.

In footage from the incident involving the zoo’s tiger, the animal is seen pacing back and forth while Dennis stands on the other side of a wire fence. When the woman pushes her hand through the fence links, the tiger surges forward and onto the barrier at the provocation.

To get to the position in front of the tiger enclosure, Dennis passed a sign warning guests not to approach.

Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong....

Woman injured after orcas ram another boat off Spain’s coast

By Kathryn Mannie  Global News

Posted August 27, 2024 11:49 am

 4 min read

A pod of orcas rammed a sailboat and bit off chunks of the ship’s rudder off the coast of northwestern Spain, prompting a bungled rescue mission that resulted in the one of the boaters being seriously injured.

The incident was the latest example of orcas attacking boats around the Iberian peninsula, a phenomenon that scientists noticed a steep uptick in around 2020. Hundreds of attacks have been reported since, logged by the Atlantic Orca Working Group, which studies the Iberian orcas. It’s unclear why the orcas are attacking ships, but theories range from vengeance against humans to hunting practice for young killer whales.

The latest attack occurred Sunday near the coast of Galicia, when two Belgian nationals sailing through the Bay of Biscay were set upon by a pod of orcas. Similar to other attacks, the killer whales rammed the ship’s rudder, leaving the vessel immobilized.

2:36Cases of orcas attacking boats on the rise

The man and woman on board called the Spanish maritime rescue service for help around 4 p.m. and authorities deployed a rescue tugboat to their location, Reuters reports. During the towing manoeuvre, the woman seriously injured her hand and needed to be evacuated by helicopter to the hospital.

The couple on board spoke to Belgian news outlet HLN and provided more details about their ordeal.

Wim Vandenhende, 43, and Dana Huens, 36, said they were sailing home from Greece in their yacht, the Amidala, when a pod of orcas began pushing and shoving their rudder.

“My steering wheel suddenly started making very strange movements,” Vandenhende said. “I also felt that the boat was being pushed.”

“When I looked to the side, I suddenly saw an orca surface next to our boat,” he added. “If I had stuck out my hand, I could have just touched it.”

Vandenhende tried to steer away from the animals to no avail. He felt about three or four more blows against the rudder and after that, the steering device was left useless.

“Without a rudder,” Vandenhende said, “the only thing we did was turn in circles.”

View image in full screen

In an image from a video provided by The Ocean Race, an orca moves along a rudder of the Team JAJO entry in The Ocean Race on Thursday, June 22, 2023, as the boat approached the Strait of Gibraltar. A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race, part of a growing trend of sometimes aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas. No one was injured. The Ocean Race via AP

The couple knew that orcas had been ramming boats in the area and had already discussed their plan of what to do in the event of an attack. They called the Spanish maritime rescue service, which immediately responded.

It took about an hour for the rescue tugboat to reach them. When they arrived, rescuers threw over a tow line to attach to the couple’s boat, but Huens’ hand got caught between the tow line and the ship. Her hand was crushed.

“A rescue helicopter was called in, which took my wife with it,” Vandenhende said. “I stayed on the sailboat, which was towed to a harbour. Due to the wind and the rough sea, the towing lines broke twice.”

The maritime rescue service told Reuters that the operation was hampered by adverse weather, with winds up to 65 km/h and waves up to three metres tall. It took about five hours to tow the damaged sailboat back to port.

The orca attack left the Amidala with extensive damage, though thankfully it didn’t take on water, Vandenhende told HLN.

“The damage is considerable,” he said. “Pieces have been bitten out of the rudder.”

Would that be like biting the tail of a shark to the whales?

=============================================================================================

Why would a 3500 y/o jar be left unsecured where a child could get access to it?....

Museum mishap: 4-year-old boy accidentally

shatters 3,500-year-old jar

By Sarah Do Couto  Global News

Posted August 28, 2024 8:05 am

 2 min read

A rare Bronze Age jar was accidentally smashed to pieces at a museum in Israel when a curious four-year-old boy got too close while inspecting the 3,500-year-old artifact.

The Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel said the jar was created between 2200 and 1500 BC. It was likely used to carry or store substances like wine or olive oil during an era predating biblical royalty King David and King Solomon.

As part of the museum’s mission to display ancient artifacts in a manner accessible to all, the crockery was not housed in glass or behind a protective barrier.

The father of the young boy told the Guardian his son was curious about the jar’s contents from where it was on display near the museum’s entrance. During their visit this week, the four-year-old reached for the priceless jar and it “tipped over and fell,” he said.

View image in full screen

The 3,500-year-old jar was broken by a curious four-year-old boy visiting the museum with his family in August 2024. Hecht Museum

“My initial reaction was denial,” the father, Alex, admitted.

He said the sight of the broken jar made the young boy cry. As the family stared at the broken pieces, Alex said he felt shocked and angry over his son’s actions. He’d been certain the destruction of the jar would come with legal or financial repercussions for his family, or at the very least, get them banned from the museum.

Instead, the father said museum officials “invited us to visit again.” They were also offered a guided tour of the building.

Inbal Rivlin, director of Hecht Museum, said the boy broke the vase accidentally, and the situation is being dealt with as such.

“There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police. In this case, however, this was not the situation,” she said. “The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly.”

Rivlin said conservationists are working to piece the jar back together and restore its original shape. When the jar is fixed and returned to its place in the museum’s display, it will likely remain without a protective barrier.

“The museum believes that there is a special charm in experiencing an archaeological find without any obstructions,” Rivlin explained. “And despite the rare incident with the jar, the Hecht Museum will continue this tradition.”

The Israeli news outlet Ynet said the jar was found in excavations in Samaria, the central region of Israel, and has been on display at the museum for 35 years.

The pottery was considered a rare archaeological find because it was intact, unlike most similar jars, which are discovered already broken in pieces.