Witnesses at the scene said the attack took place when the man, Paul Goudie, 49, from Melbourne, stepped inside a cage to pet one of the larger tigers. Shortly afterwards, there was a rapid and unexpected attack during which the park attendants had to drag the victim to safety.

Mr Goudie sustained injuries to his stomach and legs and was later admitted to a Phuket hospital for emergency treatment. He is now said to be in satisfactory condition.

Tiger Kingdom opened in Phuket in August 2013 and sees hundreds of visitors per day – including young children – pay up to £70 for a full-package ticket, which allows them to visit a host of separate tiger enclosures, posing for photographs with the adults – sometimes even sitting on their backs - and feeding bottles to cubs.

Before entering one of the concrete enclosures, guests are required to remove all loose belongings, including shoes, wash their hands, and sign a waiver denying Tiger Kingdom of any responsibility in the event of an accident.

Despite safety and animal welfare concerns, Thailand’s tiger parks, where visitors are allowed to interact with the animals, have grown in popularity in recent years. There have, however, been numerous well-documented and even fatal attacks on tourists by so-called “tamed” and apparently submissive big cats.

Last year, a 19-year old British student, Isabelle Brennan, was left scarred for life after a 400lbs tiger knocked her to the ground and bit through her thigh at the Tiger Temple park in the Kanchanaburi district.

In 2011, a Thai woman suffered severe head and arm injuries after she was mauled by a tiger at the Million Year Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm located in East Pattaya. While in 2009, a woman from New Zealand was left hospitalised for weeks after touching a tiger’s head at the Khumsu Chiang Mai Tiger Centre, in the north of Thailand.

Big cats being stroked at Tiger Temple Credit: Getty

Animal welfare groups have also called for an end to Thailand’s tiger attractions. In the past, Care for the Wild has uncovered evidence of their involvement in the trafficking of endangered animals, illegal breeding and the mistreatment of tigers. Rumours also abound that the tigers are drugged to keep them docile.

Inside a cage at Tiger Kingdom Credit: Getty

Phuket locals are dismayed by the news but would only speak anonymously, concerned by rumours of Tiger Kingdom’s connections to the island’s mafia families. One four-year resident told The Telegraph “the news of the mauling is shocking but not surprising, these are wild animals, they’re not meant to be caged and cuddled.

A photo is taken at Tiger Kingdom Credit: Getty

“I feel sympathy for the man in question but I don’t understand why tourists think it’s safe to pose for Facebook photos with wild animals in the first place.”

When approached to comment on the incident, Tiger Kingdom declined to take our call.

For information on where to observe tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards and jaguars roaming free in their natural habitats, and on how to contribute to their conservation by doing so, visit our guide on where to see big cats in the wild

This article originally said that tigers at Phuket's Tiger Kingdom were 'chained'. We have been asked to make clear that this is not the case. We apologise for the error.