Werribee truck driver Paul Goudie is recovering in a Thai hospital after being mauled by a tiger while on holiday.
The 49-year-old sustained stomach and leg injuries in the incident and had emergency surgery in Phuket last week.
Mr Goudie is believed to have stepped inside a cage at the Tiger Kingdom theme park in Phuket to pat one of the larger tigers.
He was dragged to safety by park attendants after the unexpected attack.
At Tiger Kingdom, visitors are able to visit tiger enclosures and pose for photos with animals, which are on chains.
“We did everything as the park people advised,” Mr Goudie told Phuketwan.com.
“I’m not sure why it bit me, but I had no choice except to whack it in the face a couple of times. The tiger was 15 months old. I was patting him and everything was fine. I stood up to leave and he just lunged – that was it.”
His son Jake said the attack happened quickly and staff used a taser to subdue the tiger. But the family defended the tiger park.
“There can be no blame attached to anyone,” Jake said.
“People claimed my father must have run to trigger the tiger’s response. But my dad has two steel pins in an ankle and he never moves very fast. We all heard the taser go off.
“I heard him scream. ‘Get it off me’.’’
Mr Goudie said staff were “absolutely fantastic”. “I don’t want anything to happen to the tiger,” he said. “I don’t want it killed.”
Mr Goudie hopes to return home this week.
