Tigers attack tourist bus at Jinan Wildlife Animal World

Having a narrow escape from the mouths of tigers is not a scene from action movie, but a real incident that happened at the Paomaling Wildlife Animal World in Jinan City, Shandong Province, at noon on February 4, 2012.

Reportedly, a total of 27 tourists, including five children, were scared to hide themselves under the seats when their tourist bus was surrounded and attacked by up to 8 Bengal tigers.

The attack lasted 20 minutes. The bus windshield window was smashed, and the tires were punctured. At the end, the bus managed to reach the gate of the zoo, but it was locked as the gate keeper was off for lunch.

Luckily, several minutes later a staff member of the wildlife park came to open the gate for them, and then the 27 tourists escaped without being hurt although the bus driver sustained minor injury to his hands. “If he came 5 minutes later, all of us would have been the lunch of tigers.” A tourist who went through the ordeal was quoted as saying.

In the afternoon of Feb. 4 after the accident, the authority of the Paomaling scenic spot said to the media that the tourist bus has been proven safe as it was specially made with two layers of glass and covered with iron bars. “We were surprised of the accident. We’ll bear the responsibility and deal with the matter promptly and appropriately.”

At 18 pm late afternoon, the authority announced the matter has been dealt properly, and the tourists were all offered with satisfying compensation. The reason that the tigers attacked was because the tigers happened to be on the heat period, and some visitors had provoking behaviors to them.

However, the sayings from the authority were denied by one tourist, when the reporters reached him at around 20:30 pm on the day. “They were lying, and tried to shirk responsibility,” said the tourist.

The touring bus that 27 tourists boarded was just a normal bus, as the specially-made buses were said to have contracted to some others. Besides, there was no reception for their mobile phones to reach when the accident occurred, and the gate guard was absent when on duty.

The 27 tourists were arranged to a meeting room by the authority of the Paomaling Scenic Spot, and demanded to sign an agreement to not disclose the matter to the public.

The man also provided mobile phone numbers of 10 other tourists to the reporters for verification.