**EXCLUSIVE**THIS GIRL was bullied at school because her face was ripped into pieces by a tiger when she was just 18 MONTHS OLD. Megan Krüger (16) was just eighteen months old when her parents Dot (42) and Casper (46) took her out on a sunny day in June 2007 to a nature reserve in the Free State, South Africa.
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Dot recalls feeling uneasy while walking through the fenced tiger area, but Casper was excited to show the big cats to his daughter.
When he crouched near the fence to let Megan see the animals better, the tiger attacked her by pushing its claws through the fencing and mercilessly mauled her head and face.
The brave father tried to get the tiger away from his daughter and also lost two of his fingers in the process.
What followed was a bloody scene when Megan and Casper had to be rushed to the hospital.
The tiger attack has left Megan unable to smile, close her mouth now and unable to chew properly because she has no teeth in her bottom jaw.
“It happened so fast. I don’t think we even realised what was happening until the tiger had her,” said Casper.
“The tiger got a hold of Megan with its huge claws through the wire fence, pulled her towards it, and started mauling her head and face.
“I stuck my left hand in the animal’s mouth to save my little girl and managed to free her from its jaws.
“I grappled with the tiger with my bare hands for a few minutes before the animal let go.”
The father and daughter were rushed to the nearest hospital, where they received emergency treatment and were stabilised.
Megan was then taken to the better-equipped Midvaal Hospital in Vereeniging, Gauteng, where she spent two months in ICU.
“We were almost never home that whole time.” said Dot.
“I felt guilty,” said Casper
“After all, it’s your child whom you’re responsible for.
“You’re supposed to protect her, but an accident like that can happen so incredibly fast.”
But Megan’s and her parents’ struggles didn’t end there for Megan had to go through endless surgeries to be able to reconstruct her face.
“We’ve stopped keeping count of how many times she’s been in hospital and how many surgeries she’s had,” said Dot.
“The bone in her lower jaw is still quite fragile and it must be built up again.
“She doesn’t have bottom teeth because the bone is so fragile.
“You always say it won’t happen to you – it only happens to other people.
“But it did happen to us and we had to learn to live with it and accept it.”
Even though Dot and Casper raised their daughter Megan in a ‘normal’ way, the way they did their younger daughter Kaylin, Megan’s struggles at school were endless.
“I was bullied at school because of the way I look,” said Megan.
“Primary school was tough, especially Grade 7.
“I was teased a lot. It wasn’t a good time in my life.
“But I’m really happy at my high school and everyone accepts me as I am.
“I am a member of the debate team and I compete in the Free State athletics championship every year for my school in the hammer throw event.”
Megan is a brave young girl who also had a part in a short film broadcast on Via (DStv channel 147). She feels confident in the way she looks in spite of the relentless stares by strangers.
“I never really considered acting before but when they asked me to audition, I decided to take the chance,” she said.
“I cried on the first day of the workshops. I didn’t want to participate, but actor Viljé encouraged me.
“After that first day, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a fantastic experience.
“It was really cool to be in a movie. I think I’d like to be in a full-length film one day.
“Let people stare. If they’re not going to approach me and ask me what happened, they’ll always wonder.
“What I look like doesn’t bother me at all.
“I’ve looked like this my whole life. I’ve accepted it long ago and I love myself.
“Love yourself. Don’t see the negative. See the positive and you’ll triumph.”
ENDS
By Mahima Kaur
