A woman who was mauled by a tiger in a terrifying attack at a popular theme park has been identified as a veteran handler.
Melissa Reynolds, 47, was rushed to hospital following the harrowing ordeal at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast an hour before doors opened to visitors on Monday morning.
The veteran handler was walking the five-year-old 180kg tiger with another trainer when the animal bit and scratched her.
It has since been reveled that Ms Reynolds suffered injuries to her forearm and shoulder, including multiple deep cuts and lacerations.
She has worked at the theme park for at least 12 years and has been photographed by local publications multiple times posing with the tigers.
Dreamworld is home to a number of Sumatran and Bengal tigers, including three five-year-olds named Khan, Javi and Zakari.
It’s not known which tiger attacked Ms Reynolds.
She previously appeared on Channel Nine’s Today Show along with another handler and two young cubs.
Melissa Reynolds, 47, (pictured) has been identified as the veteran tiger handler, who was mauled by the creature, at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, on Monday morning
‘It is amazing, you get the opportunity to spend time with them, feed them and play with them,’ she told the program in 2012.
Ms Reynolds remains in hospital in a stable condition.
QAS acting district director Justin Payne said the biggest risk to the injuries Ms Reynolds sustained was the likelihood of her wounds becoming infected.
‘She was quite pale and feeling unwell, but generally well and was able to be transported to hospital,’ he said.
‘Thankfully, on (the paramedics’) arrival, the bleeding had been managed very well by first aid providers there at Dreamworld, which was excellent to see.
‘We believe she was well-trained, and it’s good to see that she was able to be looked after by other support staff there.’
Dreamworld is providing support for Ms Reynolds.
‘This was an isolated and rare incident, and we will conduct a thorough review accordingly,’ a spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dreamworld for further comment.
Earlier, police were seen at the theme park which later to visitors. WorkSafe Queensland has launched an investigation into the incident.
Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia Suzanne Milthorpe, told Daily Mail the incident was a stark reminder that interactions with wild animals should not be encouraged.
he veteran handler was walking the the five-year-old animal, who weighs 180kg, with another staff member, when she was attacked (stock image)
‘Tigers are wild animals and should not be trained to perform, be used as photographic props or be handled by visitors,’ Ms Milthorpe said.
‘We call on the tourism industry to stop promoting close encounters with wild animals.’
It’s not the first incident at Dreamworld involving tigers.
Two staff were rushed to hospital in separate incidents in 2011 after they were attacked by the same Bengal tiger.
The popular park offers viewing areas on ‘Tiger Island’ where people can get ‘so close you could feel the breath of a tiger’.
Visitors over the age of 13 can also choose to tong feed the tigers or watch them ‘jump, climb and swim’ during daily presentations.
The wildlife park first opened almost 30 years ago and is one of just two interactive tiger exhibits in the world.
The incident comes after a malfunction of the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the theme park resulted in the deaths of four people in September 2016.
Cindy Low, Luke Dorsett, Roozi Araghi and Kate Goodchild all died when a water pump failed and caused the raft they were in to overturn.
The latest incident comes after a malfunction of the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the theme park resulted in the deaths of four people in September 2016 (stock image)
Kieran Low, who was 10 at the time, was on the ride when his mother was killed but miraculously only suffered minor injuries.
Dreamworld parent company Ardent Leisure was fined $3.6million in 2020 after pleading guilty in a Brisbane court to breaching the Work Health and Safety Act.
As of 2020, Ardent Leisure had reportedly paid more than $5million in compensation claims to family members of the victims, witnesses and emergency responders.