A viral tiger attack at a Thai wildlife attraction exposes the hidden dangers and cruelty behind close interactions with wild animals. Learn why these “wildlife experiences” put both humans and animals at risk—and how you can choose ethical wildlife tourism instead.
A viral video making its rounds online shows the terrifying moment an Indian tourist is attacked by a tiger at Tiger Kingdom, a wildlife attraction in Phuket, Thailand. In the clip, the tourist attempts to crouch next to a fully grown tiger for a selfie—yes, crouching (like prey would do)—while a staff member prods the animal with a stick to keep him “cooperative.” Seconds later, chaos erupts. The tiger, stressed and startled, lashes out.
And while many are understandably shocked by the video, this is just the latest reminder of the hidden cruelty and very real dangers that come with exploiting wild animals for entertainment.
At World Animal Protection, we’ve long warned about the dangers of these so-called “wildlife experiences.” Facilities like Tiger Kingdom rely on misleading marketing and unethical practices to convince tourists that these experiences are safe, fun, and even conservation-friendly. The reality? They’re none of the above.
Tigers Aren’t Selfie Props
No matter how “tame” they appear in photos, tigers are apex predators. They are wild animals with instincts that cannot be trained or subdued without force, fear, and suffering. To allow direct contact with tourists, these animals are often subjected to harsh training methods, kept in small, barren enclosures, denied their natural behaviors, and in many cases, drugged to keep them docile.
In this particular case, the tiger reacted exactly how a wild animal would when cornered, stressed, and poked with a stick. It’s not just dangerous—it’s inevitable.
Who’s Really at Risk?
Attraction operators may claim these activities are perfectly safe, but every viral attack video tells a different story. Tourists are put in harm’s way, and when something goes wrong, it’s the animals who usually pay the price. Tigers involved in attacks can be euthanized or further abused to appear even more “submissive,” and because these facilities are rarely transparent about how animals are treated, we may never know what happens to the tiger in this video after the cameras stopped rolling.
This Isn’t Conservation—It’s Cruelty
Places like Tiger Kingdom often cloak themselves in the language of conservation to justify their existence, but real conservation doesn’t involve selfies or sticks. It doesn’t involve breeding animals to live in concrete cages for human amusement. True conservation efforts protect wild animals in the wild, where they belong.
Facilities that profit from wild animal interactions are exploiting animals for profit—period. And as long as tourist demand continues, animals like this tiger will continue to suffer behind the scenes.
What You Can Do
We urge all travelers to be responsible and say no to attractions that allow direct contact with wild animals. If you can ride, hug, or take a selfie with a wild animal—it’s not ethical. Instead, choose wildlife-friendly alternatives that allow you to witness animals behaving naturally in their natural habitat.
Your vacation shouldn’t come at the cost of an animal’s well-being.
For more information, visit World Animal Protection’s wildlife-friendly travel hub!