Click a thumbnail to view more photographs I Whacked Tiger, Says Mauled Tourist PHUKET: Australian truck driver Paul Goudie has quite a story to tell about his Phuket holiday. ''I was mauled by a tiger,'' he said from his hospital bed today.



The 49-year-old from near Melbourne was relaxed about the incident, possibly because morphine was killing the pain.



He loves tigers, and he has a tiger tattoo on his left shoulder to prove it.



One tiger at the Tiger Kingdom tourist park on Phuket did not love him back yesterday, though, when he sustained bites to both legs and his stomach.



His son Jake was in the family holiday group that went to the facility in central Phuket yesterday, but like most of the others, did not venture into the cage with the tigers.



His father did. ''We did everything as the park people advised,'' Paul said today from his bed. ''I am not sure why it bit me.



''When it did, I had no choice except to whack it in the face a couple of times.''



Jake was not aware what had happened until he heard his father's loud voice and knew something was up.



''It all happened very quickly,'' he said. ''Luckily, there was a doctor among the other tourists visiting Tiger Kingdom.''



Jake said the staff at the facility used a taser to subdue the tiger. His father was quickly on his way to a hospital in nearby Phuket City.



Paul said: ''The handler was with us the whole time. The tiger was 15 months old. I was patting him, Everything was fine. I just stood up to leave.



''He just lunged. That was it.



''There can be no blame attached to anyone,'' Jake said. ''People claimed my father must have run to trigger the tiger's response.



''But my dad has two steel pins in an ankle, so he never moves very fast.



''We all heard the taser go off. I heard him screaming 'Get it off me!'. And that's when I knew it was my Dad.''



There were five tigers in the cage and two of Mr Goudie's relatives in there with him when the holiday outing turned sour.



It's thought that Mr Goudie may have seemed a tastier option than the chicken the tigers are usually fed.



The facility has been open on Phuket since July last year and there are other outlets in Thailand. Maulings are rare or at least seldom reported.



Phuketwan got no help when reporters called the facility this morning and every effort was made at the hospital by a staff representative to stop us talking to Paul and Jake.



The Goudies were, however, keen to have the story told and keen to make the point that they did not blame Tiger Kingdom. They were ''absolutely fantastic,'' Paul said.



The family was on the fourth day of their holiday and has 11 more days on Phuket.



With surgery required but no major damage to tissue or tendons, Paul Goudie hopes to be back on his feet by then.



He may even be considering another tiger tattoo.



''I don't want anything to happen to the tiger,'' he said. ''I don't want it killed.''



The Goudies were told that the tiger involved in the mauling would be ''retired'' and not in contact with visitors again. Other stories Phuket Tiger Kingdom With a Scaredy Cat I Whacked the Tiger As It Mauled Me, Says Aussie Tourist After Attack on Phuket Aussie Tourist Mauled by Tiger at Phuket Park, Say Other Visitors Comments Comments have been disabled for this article.

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