German Police Kill Escaped Tiger After Attack on 72-Year-Old in 8-Cat Schkeuditz Enclosure
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 18
German Police Kill Escaped Tiger After Attack on 72-Year-Old in 8-Cat Schkeuditz Enclosure
11 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 18
Armed police tracked the escaped tiger to a garden near Schkeuditz and shot it after deciding there was no time to wait for a veterinarian in a busy area.
The animal had just attacked a 72-year-old man who police said was authorized to be inside the enclosure at the private site northwest of Leipzig.
Carmen Zander, a former circus trainer who calls herself Germany's "Tiger Queen," is believed to own the tiger; local media said eight big cats were kept at the industrial-park facility.
PETA said Zander lacked an animal welfare permit for big cats as of last year and had repeatedly warned authorities about safety and welfare conditions; the local mayor said the enclosure "has to go."
A rescue center has offered to take the remaining animals, turning the attack into a broader test of Germany's oversight of privately kept big cats.
After years of warnings, why do German laws still permit backyard tigers?
As private big cat tragedies mount globally, is a worldwide ban inevitable?
Are 'tiger petting' events a harmless photo op or a deadly business?