Man in Vietnam loses arms while bathing tiger

A man in Vietnam has lost his arms after trying to bathe a tiger.
A man in Vietnam has lost his arms after trying to bathe a tiger. Photo credit: Newshub

An employee at an ecotourism centre in southern Vietnam has lost both his arms after an encounter with a tiger, state media reports.

Vo Thanh Quoi, a 49-year-old employee at the Thanh Canh ecotourism site in Binh Duong Province, was found missing his right arm entirely and his left arm below the elbow, the Vnexpress news site reported on Wednesday.

The man had tried to bathe a tiger.

He was taken to a local hospital and transferred to a trauma ward in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Binh Duong Provincial Forest Protection Department is investigating the cause of the attack.

Ecotourism centres in Vietnam, which often include live performances, have come under fire from animal welfare organisations for cruelty often involving endangered species.

Tigers, although native to Vietnam, are possibly already extinct from the wild, according to scientists, although they are bred on farms for their body parts for use in traditional medicine and ornaments.

Their use in ecotourism sites has previously resulted in grisly attacks, with a veterinarian dying in 2016 at a centre also in Binh Duong.

 

AAP