Employee attacked by tiger at Wooten’s Airboats and Animal Sanctuary

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls of a tiger attack just outside Everglades City.

Deputies say this happened at Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours – Animal Sanctuary & Alligator Park, at 32330 Tamiami Trail East in Ochopee.

The emergency calls tell the story. “At the back of a facility in southern collier county everglades city area. We’re en route with approximately a 55-year-old male called trauma alert by EMS services.”

CCSO believes that a caretaker was feeding a tiger in its enclosure when a man employed by Wooten’s entered the enclosure without authorization to do so.

“This patient was apparently mauled by a tiger.”

That tiger attacked the man, and he sustained injuries to both of his arms. The Greater Naples Fire Rescue District did administer some treatment at the scene. before the victim was taken to Big Cypress National Preserve Headquarters along US-41, about a mile away from Wooten’s Airboats.

Greater Naples Fire Chief Nolan Sapp said, “The personnel on scene wounds had already started some preliminary care to the victim. And then we went again and reassessed and rebandage we requested a medical helicopter to take him to the trauma center located in Fort Myers.”