Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

73-Year-Old Former Las Vegas Entertainer Who Was Mauled By Tiger Explains What Happened

73-Year-Old Former Las Vegas Entertainer Who Was Mauled By Tiger Explains What Happened
Brenda Woodard/EyeEm/Getty Images, Sharon Kowalski/Facebook.

Wildlife director describes what caused the unexpected attack.

After suffering multiple injuries during a tiger attack an Arizona wildlife sanctuary director has released a statement taking responsibility for the incident.


During his days as a Las Vegas illusionist Jonathan Kraft, 73, learned first hand the neglect and abuse animal performers can suffer at the hands of their trainers.

It's what led Kraft later in life to found the Keepers of the Wild animal sanctuary in Valentine, Arizona as a place to rescue and protect the animals he had grown to love.

But on Monday Kraft was given a costly reminder about the wild nature of the animals he cares for.

In an effort to protect the animals from an approaching storm, Kraft made a near fatal error and was attacked by an 11-year-old Bengal tiger named Bowie.

In statement released on the Keepers of the Wild Facebook page Wednesday, Kraft and park officials explained what lead to the attack.


At the time of the incident Kraft had received a flash flood warning as a large thunderstorm was moving into the area. The sanctuary was being closed to the public and Kraft took "unilateral action" to move several of the sanctuary's large cats into their protected enclosures.



During this transfer a "safety protocol had obviously failed," according to the statement.

"Jonathan made the decision to shift Bowie's gates to allow him access to his den box area," sanctuary officials said.

"During the process, the usually docile behaving Bowie exhibited unusual conduct by suddenly pushing the gates prior to Jonathan being able to secure the safety clips."
"Animal Care staff rushed to assist Jonathan and remove him from the tiger's grip. Although Bowie lacks front claws, he took advantage of his strong teeth to hold onto Jonathan."

Kraft sustained multiple wounds and two broken bones from the attack.

He was taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center via ambulance and later transferred to a Vegas area facility for continued treatment. Doctors expect it will be several months before Kraft recovers from his injuries.

As far as the attack though, Kraft takes full responsibility for what happened.

"My accident with Bowie was my fault. I was concerned for his welfare and did not stay focused on him."

Kraft shared in his statement:

"It only takes a fraction of a second for a captive wild animal to revert to their instinctual behavior. These situations occur when there is human error."

Sanctuary officials added that following the incident Bowie is "fine and resting in his habitat."

Friends and fellow animal lovers were thankful for the update and relieved to hear that Kraft would recover.


Valerie Demetros/Facebook


Leslie Brearley/Facebook


Stacy Heyl/Facebook


Christie Killebrew


Peg Hathaway/Facebook


Though many were very concerned about what might happen to Bowie following the attack.


Nicki Emery/Facebook


Dawn Schramm/Facebook

But Keepers of the Wild assured fans that Bowie would always have a home with them.


Keepers of the Wild/Facebook


For which they were all very grateful.


Gretchen Simmer/Facebook


Bethany Snell Bayenderian/Facebook


Sheree Khollman Burns/Facebook

Keepers of the Wild thanked followers for their support and reminded those interested in helping them continue their mission can donate on their website here.

More from Trending

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less