A tiger at Carole Baskin's Big Cat Sanctuary chomped down on a volunteer Thursday, nearly biting her arm off. The 69-year-old victim, Candy Couser, was feeding the 3-year-old tiger, Kimba, and fiddling with the lock, when "Kimba grabbed her arm and nearly tore it off at the shoulder."
Baskin skyrocketed to fame after the release of the hit Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” She recently competed on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Baskin says Couser ignored a "universal signal not to open a gate without the coordinator coming to assist" and that "it is against our protocols for anyone to stick any part of their body into a cage with a cat in it."
Baskin gave Inside Edition a recording of the interview she conducted with a witness after the incident.
“I saw him with her arm in his mouth and when I ran over, he let go and she fell to the ground,” the witness said. “I tried to use my fanny pack as a tourniquet. Marc used his belt, which worked better.”
Baskin then became emotional.
“I know everybody feels really bad about this,” Baskin said. “We all love Candy so much. She's such a sweet person. I want you all to stay safe out there because these cats are dangerous.”
Baskin said she doesn’t want the tiger punished for what she calls a “mistake,” but the animal is being quarantined for 30 days as a precaution.
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