2-year-old boy mauled by leopard in Thai safari park after relative sets it loose

A fun day out at a safari park turned into a nightmare when one family's blunder turned around and bit back at them.

A two-year-old boy was mauled by a leopard that one of his relatives had set free, reported Thai media.

The boy, Orr Burns, and his relatives, all from Israel, visited Namuang Safari Park in Koh Samui on Aug 22.

The group had visited the park's elephants before heading over to the leopard pen for pictures.

CCTV footage shows the terrifying moment when one of Burns' relatives unlatched the door to the leopard enclosure.

Seeing the leopard in front of him, he backed away but left the door wide open. The leopard inched towards the open door before charging forward and sending the people outside the enclosure into a panic.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DflnTPaI9c0[/embed]

In just a few seconds, the leopard had managed to latch onto Burns and pin him to the ground.

According to the boy's uncle, Rafe Benvenisti, the leopard only released him when a passerby kicked it in the head.

A staff member returned the leopard to its enclosure less than 10 seconds after the escape, but the damage had been done.

The boy was rushed to Bangkok Hospital Samui where a scan revealed a fractured cheekbone. He is now in stable condition.

Burns' family is not happy with the park.

Benvenisti criticised their safety measures, saying, "We waited at the door and it was closed with a hook. Nobody knew what was behind the door, so one of the men opened the handle."

The boy's father, Rafi Burns added, "The leopard is supposed to be drowsy, fuzzy and not aggressive. There should be a person next to the animal's cage."

Naphat Pluemsut, the park's executive advisor, downplayed the incident, telling reporters in Thai that the six-year-old leopard, named Tony, is "usually very tame".

"During the incident, there were a lot of tourists, so I think that he panicked and ended up running into the toddler, who was in his path," Pluemsut added.

While Tony's enclosure was latched from the outside and did not require a key to open, there was a sign on the door which stated "no entry unless accompanied by a staff member" in English, said Pluemsut.

The park also said that it would increase the number of staff and build another cage for the big cats.

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com