In what many will see as karma at play, the head monk at Thailand’s controversial Tiger Temple was mauled by a male tiger late Saturday afternoon and is now in intensive care at a local hospital.

The attack happened as Luangta Jan, a director of the Tiger Temple, was walking the 7 year old male tiger called Hern on a leash. Witnesses say the abbot pulled the leash to halt the tiger and at this point it suddenly turned on him, first scratching his face leaving a large gash from his forehead to mouth, before biting his right arm.

The abbot was rushed to Thanakarn Hospital where he underwent a four hour operation and is now in the intensive care unit. There has been no official statement from the hospital or Tiger Temple on the severity of the monks injuries or his condition following surgery.

The Tiger Temple, or Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, in Kanchanaburi province has been in the headlines several times in recent months as campaigners push to have the park shutdown and government officials threatening closure. Despite claims the park is illegal and threats to remove all the animals, it is still operating as normal and continues to attract hundreds of tourists everyday who can pose for photos with the big cats and feed them.

Image via sanook.com





