16-year-old critically injured in three-tiger attack

16-year-old critically injured in three-tiger attack
Animal park employee attacked after entering cage.
Juliana Goodwin • News-Leader • August 5, 2008


A 16-year-old was critically injured Monday after being mauled by three tigers at a Branson West attraction.

Dakota Ramel, an employee at the Interactive Zoo and Aquarium in Branson West -- formerly known as Predator World -- was attacked at 12:50 p.m. after he entered the tigers' cage to take a picture for a customer.

"While in the pen with the tigers, one of the tigers jumped on the victim and knocked him to the ground," Stone County Sheriff Richard Hill said in a news release. "At that point, two other tigers joined in the attack and drug the victim to a water pool."

Other employees were able to hold the tigers back with a CO2 extinguisher and pulled the teen from the cage before emergency responders arrived, said Charlie Neubert, Chief of the Southern Stone County Fire Protection District, Branson West.

The attack occurred in front of visitors.

Ramel "suffered severe trauma to his neck, his airway and the back of his neck (and) a severe laceration to his leg," Neubert said.

Ramel was airlifted to Cox South hospital in critical condition and was still in critical condition Monday night.
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