World News – USA – A Carole Baskins Big Cat Rescue volunteer was seriously injured after being bitten by a tiger

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A volunteer was seriously injured after being bitten by a tiger Thursday morning at Carole Baskins Big Cat Rescue.

In a Facebook post, Big Cat Rescue said that five-year-old volunteer Candy Couser was about to feed a tiger named Kimba when she discovered he was « locked up » in an area where he was normally fed.

Then she opened a « guillotine tunnel door » that was cut to size – what Big Cat Rescue called a « universal signal » NOT to open a gate without the coordinator coming for assistance. « 

« Candy said she just wasn’t thinking when she reached inside to solve it, » wrote Big Cat Rescue. « It is against our protocols for someone to put part of their body in a cage with a cat. Kimba grabbed her arm and almost tore it off by the shoulder. « 

Big Cat Rescue went on to say that a staff member named Jane « heard the excitement and ran, » which caused Kimba to loosen his grip and allow Couser to « fall off the side of the tunnel. « Another employee named Gina, who is a nurse, » held the artery under Candy’s armpit to stop the bleeding, « while an employee named Marc » used his belt as a tourniquet. « Others called for an ambulance, Gina put her arm in an ice pack » to save it, « and the ambulance arrived » within 15 to 20 minutes of the accident, « according to the Facebook post.

« Candy was still conscious and insisted that she did not want Kimba Tiger to be harmed for this mistake, » the group wrote. « He’s being quarantined for the next 30 days as a precaution, but only behaved normally due to the presence of food and the possibility. « 

Big Cat Rescue added that bereavement counseling « is available to those affected by this tragic event. « The organization also said that Baskin has reminded all staff and volunteers that » this type of tragedy can happen in the blink of an eye and that we cannot relax our watch around these dangerous cats for a second. « 

The group concluded their post by saying, « The fact that such a violation can occur despite our rigorous safety protocols and superb security only confirms the inherent danger in dealing with these animals and why we need the big cat law over. » public safety to prevent them from being tracked down in backyards across the country and ending up in sanctuaries where wonderful people like Candy Couser have pledged to care for those dumped by the pay-to-play industry. « 

The organization describes itself online as « one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to abused and abandoned big cats. « It is home to more than 50 cats of various species, all of whom have been rescued because they have been » abandoned, abused, orphaned, turned into fur coats « or » withdrawn from the show « . « The rescue started in 1992.

Baskin says those who want to volunteer with Big Cat Rescue must first pass 50 courses from Zoo College, an online school, she told Insider in June. From there, they must « observe skilled keepers performing a task six times » and later « observe a skilled keeper doing the task six times. ». « 

« No one who has actually been trained as a volunteer or intern here would ever say they were not properly trained and administered, » Baskin said at the time. « In many zoos, one person can be hired to care for big cats and have cage keys within a week without formal training in big cat care. Enshala, the tiger who was accidentally released and then shot at Lowry Park Zoo, was just one sad example. « 

« At Big Cat Rescue, a person works with the smaller cats, such as 25-pound bobcats to 40-pound lynx, for two years before they are ever within three feet of the outside of a large cat’s cage you can never get the keys, « she continued.

Representatives from Carole Baskin, Big Cat Rescue, and the Hillsborough County Fire Department did not immediately respond to insider requests for comment.

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Big Cat Rescue, Big Cat, Tampa, Tiger, Animal Bite