What caused the ire of the tiger?

A TIGER handler at Australia Zoo who was mauled by a 120kg cat was found to have deliberately excited the animal to put on a better show, a report says.

A TIGER handler at Australia Zoo who was mauled by a 120kg cat was found to have deliberately excited the animal to put on a better show, a Workplace Health and Safety investigation has found.

According to the Courier Mail, Dave Styles sustained a crushed carotid artery, nicked jugular, paralysis to the left larynx and nerve damage to the left eye after the tiger got “over excited” during a public show in the Big Cat arena.

A spokeswoman for Australia Zoo brushed off the report telling news.com.au: “This is an old story so we really don’t have anything further to say in regards to it.

“We’ve all moved on and are continuing to work towards our passion - tiger conservation. Dave is doing great and is back at work here at Australia Zoo, where he has been for some time now.”

Channel 7 footage of the tiger attack.

Dave Styles sustained serious injuries.

“Mr Styles admitted that he overly excited Charlie, on this occasion which encouraged the tiger to play rougher than usual,” said the report obtained under Right to Information laws.

In November last year while a BBC crew was at the zoo filming, the hybrid Bengal Sumatran tiger did not seem enthusiastic so Styles changed into a different outfit to stimulate it.

He changed out of his khaki outfit and put on a blue “blanket” and placed surgical shoes over his hands to make himself look more interesting.

Mr Styles changed into a blue outfit to arouse the tiger’s curiosity.

The outfit had the desired effect, with the tiger rearing on to his hind legs, placing his front paws on the man’s shoulders in a move called “taking a hit”. This caused Mr Styles to fall into a pool and at this point, Charlie became overstimulated and bit him on the neck and throat.

Mr Styles, who has returned to work, denied he had been trying to provide better footage for a BBC documentary crew. Investigators concluded no further legal action was necessary.

The attack sparked off a series of tiger incidents at Australia Zoo, founded by Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and his wife Terri.

About a month later, another handler was knocked to the ground during the tiger show.

In July this year experienced handler Mark Turner was bit on the calf while routinely walking big cat Juma from one area of the zoo to another. This incident did not happen during the daily tiger show, but left him with a “tooth puncture wound”.