Dreamworld tiger attack: Handler attacked at Gold Coast theme park identified as Melissa Reynolds

A woman who was attacked by a tiger in a terrifying attack at a popular amusement park turns out to be an experienced handler.

Melissa Reynolds, 47, was rushed to hospital after the horrific incident at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, an hour before it opened to visitors on Monday morning.

The experienced trainer was walking the five-year-old, 180-kilogram tiger with another trainer when the animal bit and scratched her.

It has since been revealed that Ms Reynolds sustained injuries to her forearm and shoulder, including multiple deep lacerations and lacerations.

She has worked at the theme park for at least 12 years and has been photographed several times by local publications posing with the tigers.

Dreamworld is home to a number of Sumatran and Bengal tigers, including the three five-year-old tigers Khan, Javi and Zakari.

It is not known which tiger attacked Mrs. Reynolds.

She previously appeared on Channel Nine’s Today Show, along with another handler and two young cubs.

“It’s amazing, you get the chance to spend time with them, feed them and play with them,” she told the program in 2012.

Mrs Reynolds remains in stable condition in hospital.

Justin Payne, acting district director of QAS, said the biggest risk to Ms Reynolds’ injuries was the chance of her wounds becoming infected.

“She was quite pale and unwell, but overall she was fine and was able to be taken to hospital,” he said.

‘Luckily, when the emergency services arrived, the bleeding was well under control by the first aid workers at Dreamworld, which was great to see.

“We are confident that she has been well trained and it is good to see that she was able to be cared for by other support staff.”

Dreamworld is providing support to Mrs Reynolds.

“This was an isolated and rare incident and we will conduct a thorough investigation,” a spokesperson said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dreamworld for further comment.

Police were seen earlier at the amusement park which later went to visitors. WorkSafe Queensland has launched an investigation into the incident.

Suzanne Milthorpe, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, told the Daily Mail the incident was a stark warning that interactions with wild animals should not be encouraged.

The experienced handler was walking the five-year-old animal, which weighs 180kg, with another staff member when she was attacked (stock image)

“Tigers are wild animals and should not be trained to perform, used as photographic props or touched by visitors,” Milthorpe said.

“We call on the tourism industry to stop promoting wildlife encounters.”

This is not the first incident involving tigers at Dreamworld.

In 2011, two employees were rushed to hospital in separate incidents after being attacked by the same Bengal tiger.

The popular park has viewpoints on ‘Tiger Island’ where people can get ‘so close you can feel the breath of a tiger’.

Visitors aged 13 and over can also choose to feed the tigers with tongs or watch them ‘jump, climb and swim’ during daily presentations.

The wildlife park opened almost 30 years ago and is one of only two interactive tiger exhibits in the world.

The incident follows a malfunction on the theme park’s Thunder River Rapids Ride that killed four people in September 2016.

Cindy Low, Luke Dorsett, Roozi Araghi and Kate Goodchild all died when a water pump failed and the raft they were in capsized.

The latest incident follows a malfunction on the theme park’s Thunder River Rapids Ride that killed four people in September 2016 (stock image)

Kieran Low, then 10 years old, was on the ride when his mother was killed, but miraculously suffered only minor injuries.

Dreamworld’s parent company Ardent Leisure was fined $3.6 million in 2020 after the company pleaded guilty to breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act in Brisbane.

Ardent Leisure reportedly paid more than $5 million in damages to victims’ families, witnesses and emergency responders in 2020.