Man severely injured in Bengal tiger attack in Kanchanaburi

A man was severely injured in an attack by a wild Bengal tiger in a Kanchanaburi forest near the Myanmar border last Friday. The 48 year old man was walking from a nearby village to the forest to care for a buffalo when two Bengal tigers started chasing him.

Reports say the man ran, but was then faced with a third tiger. It immediately attacked him. He hid in a chump of bamboo, shouted out to chase the tiger away, and threw bamboo sticks at the tiger. He waited around 30 minutes for the tiger to leave the area. He then ran to the village for help.

The man was severely injured with more than 20 wounds from the tiger’s fangs and claws. Both of his palms had been bitten and his wrist was broken from punching the tiger. The man faces a hospital bill of more than 24,000 baht. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has offered to cover 10,000 baht in medical costs to support him. The man was released from the hospital on Tuesday.

The man’s aunt, who also lives in the area, told Thai media that tigers don’t roam near the village and she suspects that some wildcats might be fleeing from Myanmar’s side of the forest due to the recent clashes between the Burmese state military and ethic troops. She also added that her relative who lives in the neighbouring country shared with her that five Bengal tigers escaped to the Thai side around two to three months ago.

SOURCE: Khaosod