For 18 year old animal lover Somer Stevens, working with big cats was more than a job. It was something she had dreamed about, and when an opportunity opened at Tiger Haven in Tennessee, she was eager to become part of the team.
Tiger Haven is a nonprofit sanctuary that has cared for big cats since 1991. The facility provides permanent homes for lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, and jaguars that can no longer be kept by their owners. Some of the animals previously lived as pets, while others came from circuses or cub petting operations.
Because caring for dangerous animals requires constant attention, employees live on the property. The work is considered a lifestyle rather than a normal nine to five job, and Stevens was happy to be part of it.
She had also been familiar with the sanctuary before becoming an employee. Her boyfriend, Gage Gilmore, worked there, and Stevens often visited him while he cared for the animals. After learning that the sanctuary was hiring, she decided to join him.
By January 25, 2021, Stevens had been working at Tiger Haven for only about two months. That day, she was carrying out her regular duties, including refilling water for the tigers.
Rain had made the conditions around the enclosures slippery. As Stevens walked down a hill, she suddenly lost her footing and fell forward toward one of the fences.
The fall put her dangerously close to Eeyore, one of the sanctuary’s tigers. In an instant, the animal grabbed her arm through the fence and pulled it into its mouth.
Stevens screamed for help, hoping someone nearby would hear her. Fortunately, Gilmore was close enough to hear what was happening and immediately rushed toward her.
The people around the enclosure tried several ways to distract the tiger, including offering it food. But Eeyore showed little interest in the chicken and continued holding onto Stevens’ arm.
Gilmore then grabbed a piece of bamboo from the ground and pushed it through the fence toward the tiger. The animal gagged and finally released Stevens.
Although she was no longer trapped by the tiger, Stevens had suffered severe injuries and was losing blood. Her coworkers quickly applied a tourniquet while they waited for emergency responders.
She was taken to a hospital and underwent lengthy surgery to repair the damage. Over the following two weeks, she required five surgeries, including skin grafts, as doctors worked to restore her injured arm.
The ordeal brought another major moment in Stevens’ life. The day after the attack, Gilmore proposed to her at her hospital bedside, telling her that he would remain by her side regardless of how much the injury changed her life.
Recovery would be long and difficult. Doctors expected it could take at least a year for Stevens to regain feeling in her arm, with even more time needed to recover basic movement.
The incident also led to controversy surrounding Tiger Haven. Stevens’ attorney accused the sanctuary of suggesting that she had caused the attack herself by attempting to pet the tiger, something Stevens strongly denied.
The sanctuary’s owner said Eeyore was familiar with Stevens and Gilmore, claiming they had bottle fed the tiger when he was a cub. Questions were also raised about the circumstances surrounding the animal’s feeding schedule.
While the details of Stevens’ legal case remained largely private, the attack left her facing a long recovery and a very different future from the one she had imagined when she first began working with big cats.
