Puma mauls owner's leg: Serious incident in controversial private zoo

Welwyn (Great Britain) - Serious biting incident in a British private zoo: The controversial big cat owner Terrence Moore (78) was attacked and seriously injured by a puma.

Terrence Moore (78) should actually have had to give up his animals through the courts. But they were allowed to stay for the time being. Now the collector has been bitten by a cougar.
Terrence Moore (78) should actually have had to give up his animals through the courts. But they were allowed to stay for the time being. Now the collector has been bitten by a cougar.  © Montage: Facebook/Cat Survival Trust

He turned his sprawling estate north of London into a zoo, where he kept numerous pumas, snow leopards and jaguars in questionable conditions. Five months ago, a court finally put a stop to the colorful goings-on. But because no zoo was able to take the animals in, they were allowed to stay for the time being ...

Now the controversial big cat keeper Terrence Moore (78) was attacked and horribly bitten by a protégé while working in a cougar cage. This is reported in the newspaper"The Sun".

According to the report, the serious biting incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon on the grounds of Moore's private zoo "The Cat Survival Trust", north of London. The 78-year-old survived seriously injured, but his leg was completely shredded. A rescue helicopter took Moore to a hospital in Cambridge for further treatment.

The cougar was uninjured and calmed down after the incident.

"It's a miracle that Terrence survived. It could have gone very, very wrong," a close friend told The Sun. The cat owner had always been so "methodical" and "careful" when working in the cage. The friend suspects: "Maybe it's the stress of having to get rid of the cats that made him make a blunder."

Images: Terrence Moore's horror zoo "The Cat Survival Trust"

Here, a big cat keeper nudges a strictly protected snow leopard on the nose.
ContentImage.Description   © Montage: Facebook/Cat Survival Trust
The cougar fanatic is said to have kept around 30 big cats in tiny cages like these.
ContentImage.Description   © Montage: Facebook/Cat Survival Trust
Apparently the cougar man was also a breeder.
ContentImage.Description   © Montage: Facebook/Cat Survival Trust

"British Tiger King" bitten in his own zoo

The "British Tiger King" has repeatedly come under fire from the authorities for his behavior.

As recently as May, a British court sentenced him to a fine of 14,380 pounds (17,300 euros) for cruelty to animals, keeping endangered animals without permission and operating a zoo without a valid license. The judge also ordered the immediate closure of the run-down private zoo. Terrence Moore was also banned from keeping animals for the next five years.

The cages on the approximately two-hectare site were not suitable for keeping the wild animals in a species-appropriate manner, according to the reasons for the ruling.

However, because there was no space for Moore's 30 or so big cats in regular zoos, they were allowed to remain in the care of the cougar fanatic for the time being. It is unclear what the future holds for the animals.

Keeping a big cat can sometimes be dangerous. As was the case in May 2023, when an illegal animal breederin Slovakia was literally mauled by a lion.