The 8-year-old tiger was shot dead in a residential area in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.
The tiger was euthanized after it escaped from a private farm in South Africa, attacked people and killed two dogs and a pig over the course of several days.
Sheba, an 8-year-old tigress, was shot dead early Wednesday morning after she was found in a nearby residential area after escaping from the Walkerville area south of Johannesburg, police said. Sheba, who was kept in a cage on a small farm as a pet, escaped on Saturday.
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Authorities said it was not possible to safely keep a large cat, and the owner allowed her to be put down.
“Because of the terrain and territory, it is impossible to detain or secure,” said Gresham Mundy, a spokesman for the Community Police Group.
“At 3:45 am we decided to euthanize him while it was still safe. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get rid of him at the time.”
Mandy said it was a “tough decision” but public safety was a “priority”.
William Mokoena told South African television channel eNCA how he was attacked by a tiger while walking home from a grocery store on Saturday night. Mokoena said that when she bent down to tie her shoelaces and tried to untie them, the tiger attacked her. According to him, he used his paws to defeat the tiger.
Pet Exotic Animal
Search officials are trying to find Sheba using drones and helicopters. According to Mandy, the big cat was eventually tracked down to a nearby farm and near the house.
The tiger’s flight have prompted animal rights groups to question South African laws against keeping exotic animals as pets. Animal rights group SPCA has been concerned that permits are not needed to keep exotic animals in Gauteng Province, where Sheba is kept in captivity.
“This tigress, which has previously exhibited tiger’s behavior in the wild, does not roam alone in a residential area,” the SPCA said. “He didn’t want to hold captive something that shouldn’t have happened.”
