Escaped Tiger From Flooded Georgia Zoo Kills Man In Tbilisi

A tiger that escaped from the flooded Georgia Zoo killed a man in Tbilisi. The attack happened over the weekend in Laguna Vere, a residential area, near the city’s central square. The white tiger hid in a warehouse and was spared from culling by city police officers who shot dead the escaped beasts.

An eyewitness told Imedi channel that the big cat seized the male victim, a relief worker, by the throat, reports AFP. Following the report, special police forces were deployed to hunt the tiger and kill it, said a spokeswoman from the Interior Ministry.

On Wednesday, Washington Post reported that camouflaged Special Forces officers killed the black-and-white tiger near the area where it killed the relief worker. A spokesman from the Interior Ministry confirmed that the tiger was liquidated.

Hundreds of zoo animals escaped on Sunday when floods hit Tbilisi, the capital city. The escaped beasts include a hippopotamus, tigers, wolves and lions. Sky News initially reported that it was an escaped lion that attacked and killed a Tbilisi man. Employees previously announced that all of the big cats that escaped from the zoo were found dead, giving a false sense of security to Georgians who were previously advised to stay indoors until all the animals have been captured or shot dead.

The floods also killed 17 people. Up to 20 people are still missing in the capital city as of Monday morning, according to Manana Tokmajishvili, spokesman of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The city was inundated after water from the Vere River burst its banks and overflowed on Sunday. The flood, country’s worst in decades, destroyed homes, cars and roads in the capital city, with material damage estimated at $15 million.

Half of the zoo animals, made up of more than 300 species, drowned in muddy water, including penguins. Some of the animals were recaptured by cops. Zoo spokesman Khata Basilasvili disclosed that four lions, three tigers and two jaguars either drowned in the flood or were shot to death by the police.

Teams of hunters are still looking for four more lions, three tigers and a jaguar that are still unaccounted. Two bear cubs were discovered miles away from the zoo but are back in their enclosures by Monday. Because of the tiger attack, Garibashvili ordered zoo employees to make a recount of missing animals.

To contact the writer, email: vittoriohernandez@yahoo.com