AYUTTHAYA — A four-year-old girl was clawed in the head by a tiger at Ayodia Intermarket in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district on Monday afternoon.
The girl, who needed two stitches to close the wound, was standing on a chair too close to the wire fence around the tiger enclosure when she was attacked. The girl was sent to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Hospital for treatment.
Winai Jaritsua, manager at Ayodia Intermarket, one of the popular tourist attractions in Ayutthaya, said the market keeps six tigers for a show. There was no show today, but many in the long-weekend crowd asked to see the cats.
Mr Winai said he let parents and their children enter the feeding area. The injured girl could not see the tigers over the opaque bottom of the enclosure's fence, so her aunt put a chair next to the fence for her to stand on.
Market executives met with the girl's family at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya police station and reportedly apologised and paid for the girl's current and future medical bill plus 15,000 baht compensation. Both sides were satisfied with the settlement.
Mr Winai said the market would not permit visitors to enter the feeding area again and would install another layer of fencing.
Ayodia Intermarket is located near Ayothaya Floating Market, one of the largest tourist sites in the region.
Mr Winai shows the spot where the girl was clawed by one of the six tigers. (Photo by Soonthorn Phongpao)