Tiger mauls executive director of Arizona wildlife sanctuary

PHOENIX - The executive director of an Arizona wildlife sanctuary was seriously injured when he was attacked by a tiger as he was moving the animals during a heavy storm Monday, officials at the facility confirmed.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page Wednesday evening, officials with Keepers of the Wild, about 35 miles east of Kingman, confirmed that Jonathan Kraft suffered multiple wounds and two broken bones when a Bengal tiger named Bowie clamped its jaws on Kraft.

The statement said the 11-year-old tiger is one of three large cats previously owned as pets that came to the sanctuary last September.  

Kraft is recovering from his injuries at Kingman Regional Medical Center.

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Kraft decided to take "unilateral action'' to move several large cats, including Bowie, to another area of the sanctuary safe from the outdoor elements, as a heavy thunderstorm moved through the area after a flash flood warning had been issued, according to the statement.

"During that process, a safety protocol had obviously failed resulting in the incident,'' the statement said.

"Jonathan made the decision to shift Bowie’s gates to allow him access to his den box area. During the process, the usually docile behaving Bowie exhibited unusual conduct by suddenly pushing the gates prior to Jonathan being able to secure the safety clips.

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 "Animal Care staff rushed to assist Jonathan and remove him from the tiger’s grip. Although Bowie lacks front claws, he took advantage of his strong teeth to hold onto Jonathan."

Kraft issued a statement through the sanctuary noting that he has had years of experience working closely with large cats. The sanctuary said he is a former Las Vegas illusionist who eventually stopped using big cats in his act, and urged other entertainers to follow suit.

"My accident with Bowie was my fault. I was concerned for his welfare and did not stay focused on him,'' Kraft's statement said. "It only takes a fraction of a second for a captive wild animal to revert to their instinctual behavior. These situations occur when there is human error.”

The sanctuary said Bowie will not be euthanized as a result of the incident.

The tiger had been declawed as a young cub and the procedure resulted in causing "progressive lameness to both front feet,'' the sanctuary said. 

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Animal care staff typically work in pairs when opening animals to their holding and den box areas, the statement said, adding that safety protocols and training have been regularly updated over the past 14 years in compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Welfare Act.

The statement said the facility is conducting an internal investigation.

Keepers of the Wild is home to 50 different species and sub-species of exotic and native wildlife, according to the statement. The various habitats occupy over 60 acres of developed land and the big cat species occupy 20 individual areas.

Follow Chris Coppola on Twitter: @chris_coppola