New photos and Video reveal full horror of tiger attack at Steve Irwin's zoo

David Styles, 30, suffered puncture wounds to the neck and shoulder after the tiger dragged him into the water following a show at Australia Zoo. He was treated by paramedics before being flown to a flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital by the RACQ Careflight helicopter in a serious condition. He is now in a serious, but stable condition with his family and friends at his bedside.

This is the terrifying moment a trainer was mauled by a tiger at a zoo founded by the late Steve Irwin.

David Styles, 30, suffered puncture wounds to the neck and shoulder after the tiger dragged him into the water after becoming 'over excited' at Australia Zoo. 

 

He was treated by paramedics before being flown to a flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital by the RACQ Careflight helicopter in a serious condition.

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Attack: This is the terrifying moment a trainer was mauled by a tiger at Australia Zoo, the Queensland institution made famous by the late Steve Irwin

Mauled: David Styles, 30, suffered puncture wounds to the neck and shoulder after the tiger dragged him into the water after becoming 'over-excited' after a show

Injured: A colleague rushes to his aid. Mr Styles is in a serious, but stable condition at hospital following the attack

He was conscious and breathing, but was sustained two large puncture wounds from the attack.

He is now in a serious, but stable condition with his family and friends at his bedside.

 

The zoo is famous throughout the world as it was owned by crocodile hunter Steve Irwin who was killed by a stingray barb while swimming off the North Queensland coast in 2006.

Australia Zoo director Wes Mennon was quick to comment the actions of a group of zoo keepers  nearby who saw the attack and helped drag the trainer away from the tiger.

Tragic: David Styles has worked with big cats for nine years but suffered horrifying injuries in the attack today

He said: 'At the time of the incident, our emergency response team were on the scene immediately.
'They acted professionally and calmly. My hat goes off to them.'

Mr Mennon said Mt Styles had nine years experience with big cats and had raised the tiger since it arrived at the zoo as a cub.

He added: 'Our priority is the wellbeing of the handler, who is a valued member of our Australia Zoo family. Our full support is with the handler and family.'

Rushing to the rescue: Mr Styles colleagues can be seen beating the animal with a large stick as they try to pull him to safety

Bravery: Australia Zoo director Wes Mennon commended the other zoo keepers for behaving 'professionally and calmly'

Dragged to safety: The attack took place by the edge of the water, witnesses said it looked as if the animal was trying to drown his handler

 

Moment tiger attacks trainer at Australian Zoo caught on camera

The shocking attack was witnessed by as many as 50 people, among them 14 year old Jake D'Olimpio, who told the Courier Mail that the incident occurred during a performance with the tiger.

He said he saw the tiger jump on the front of the trainer and lunge at the man's neck with his jaws.

He said: 'It was horrifying.They fell in the water and the tiger was trying to hold him under.

'The other trainers, maybe four of them, tried to fight the tiger off. One of them was hitting it with a stick.'

Prior to the attack, Jake told the paper, the trainer had been patting and playing with the tiger.

'It was an accident,' he insisted. 'It was not an act of aggression. It was part of a routine and just an unfortunate mistake.'

Asked what would happen to the tiger, Mr Wes Mannion, the zoo's director, said: 'Nothing.'

The zoo keeps three Bengal and eight Sumatran tigers. Visitors are offered the chance to be photographed with the animals every afternoon.

Frantic: A team of six paramedics work on Mr Styles in an attempt to stabilise him before being transferred to hospital

Emergency evacuation: Mr Styles is carefully loaded into a waiting air ambulance to be flown to hospital

In 2009 there were two attacks on keepers at the zoo, one by a Bengal tiger and another by a Sumatran tiger, in both cases the keepers were hospitalised but recovered from their injuries. 

It remains unclear what caused this attack but it is thought to be the most serious in the zoo's history.

Steve Irwin's widow, Terri, still has involvement with the zoo and the crocodile hunter's children Bindi and Bob are young TV stars in both Australia and the US.

Daring displays: A handler feeds a tiger at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, which is home to three Bengal and eight Sumatran tigers

Family venture: The Crocodile Hunter with his wife Terri, and their four-year-old daughter Bindi pictured in 2002

Mr Irwin, who shot to fame as the star of the hit show The Crocodile Hunter, died on September 4, 2006, aged 44.

He was swimming with stingrays in the Great Barrier Reef when, it is thought, one of the fish went into defensive mode. It flipped up its tail and hit Steve in the chest with a barb that pierced his heart.

His daughter Bindil, then aged eight captivated the world when she strode onto the stage at her father's funeral to give a tear-jerking eulogy in front of 5,000 people and 300 million TV viewers.

In her address she described the conservationist as ‘my hero’, adding, ‘He listened to me and taught me so many things, but most of all he was fun.’

Now 15  she is a TV presenter, wildlife campaigner and Hollywood film star in her own right and continues to work towards her father's conservationist goals.