Wildlife filmmaker John Varty is recovering in hospital after he was mauled by a tiger during a documentary shoot in South Africa.
Varty, 61, was filming at his private game reserve near Philippolis in South Africa's Free State when he was attacked by the animal and is now receiving treatment at a local hospital.
He sustained multiple puncture wounds and two broken ribs and underwent a six-hour emergency operation, but is still in a serious condition.
Amanda Appelgryn, spokeswoman for the Mediclinic hospital in Bloemfontein, says, "He went for six-hour surgery and is in the intensive care unit. He had lost a lot of blood and got a transfusion in theatre. He has multiple injuries on his front and back and all over his whole body, but not his face.
He is conscious... he is in pain but he's doing Ok... He's not stable and he's not critical, but somewhere inbetween. It's best to say he's in a serious condition. I can't say he's out of danger: with wild animals there is always the possibility of infection."
Varty has produced more than 30 wildlife documentaries during his career and he found success in Hollywood by writing and starring in 1990 film Running Wild with Martin Sheen and Brooke Shields.
Varty, 61, was filming at his private game reserve near Philippolis in South Africa's Free State when he was attacked by the animal and is now receiving treatment at a local hospital.
He sustained multiple puncture wounds and two broken ribs and underwent a six-hour emergency operation, but is still in a serious condition.
Amanda Appelgryn, spokeswoman for the Mediclinic hospital in Bloemfontein, says, "He went for six-hour surgery and is in the intensive care unit. He had lost a lot of blood and got a transfusion in theatre. He has multiple injuries on his front and back and all over his whole body, but not his face.
He is conscious... he is in pain but he's doing Ok... He's not stable and he's not critical, but somewhere inbetween. It's best to say he's in a serious condition. I can't say he's out of danger: with wild animals there is always the possibility of infection."
Varty has produced more than 30 wildlife documentaries during his career and he found success in Hollywood by writing and starring in 1990 film Running Wild with Martin Sheen and Brooke Shields.
- 3/30/2012
- WENN
Tune in to see the efforts to save tigers from extinction made by Tony Varty in South Africa. Meanwhile, in new Sky1 cop drama The Chicago Code Jennifer Beals gets straight down to business. Tiger Man Nat Geo Wild/HD: 8pm John Varty doesn't look like he's fathered 15 tigers, and technically he hasn't, but his effort to breed the big cats in his South African reserve does deserve some credit.
- 5/12/2011
- Sky TV
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