Woman dragged away by tiger at China wildlife park seeking 2 million yuan compensation

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The tiger attacking Ms Zhao, who claimed she had left the safety of her vehicle as she was feeling car sick. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM YOUTUBE

BEIJING - A woman who was dragged away by a tiger after ignoring safety warnings not to leave her vehicle at a wildlife park in China is seeking 2 million yuan (S$412,000) in compensation.

Local media reported that the 32-year-old, surnamed Zhao, plans to sue Beijing's Badaling Wildlife Park for not properly informing her of the dangers of stepping out of her car.

This, despite the park requiring visitors who embark on a safari-style drive within the park to sign an agreement promising they would close and lock their car doors, not feed the animals and never get out of the car, according to the Beijing Times.

The incident on July 23 ended in tragedy for Ms Zhao's mother, who was mauled to death by a second tiger while attempting to rescue her daughter.

Ms Zhao's mother and her husband had left the safety of their vehicle after watching a tiger drag her away, according to surveillance footage of the incident. The couple's three-year-old son had remained in the car and was unharmed.

In an interview with the paper, Ms Zhao, who suffered serious injuries and is still recuperating, refuted earlier stories that said she stepped out of the car in a huff after getting into an argument with her husband.

She claimed that she had been feeling car sick, and instead pinned the blame on park officials whom she said were slow to respond and mount a rescue.

While admitting that she had indeed signed an agreement form, she claimed she was under the impression it was just registration to enter the park.

An investigation in August had found that Badaling Wildlife Park was not at fault for the incident, as it was found to have put up sufficient signs warning visitors of the dangers of leaving their vehicles.

While the park had initially settled on over 1.2 million yuan in compensation, a park employee told Beijing Times it had decided to pay only 745,00 yuan as it did not agree to Ms Zhao's claims of emotional trauma and medical fees incurred after her initial hospitalisation.

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