A loose tiger was shot dead by cops in Atlanta after it was found attacking a dog. The incident occurred Wednesday morning in a suburban neighborhood of the city.
CNN reports that it’s unknown where the loose tiger originated from. Authorities are trying to locate the dead tiger’s owners. It ostensibly escaped from a zoo or a private owner, but it’s not immediately clear where the large cat came from. Several 911 calls were made by nervous residents, says Capt. Joey Smith of the Henry County Police Department.
The loose tiger was killed by cops when it was in a resident’s backyard mauling her dog. Brittney Speck was shocked to wake up to a frenzy of police activity outside her house as police searched for the loose tiger. She was instructed by the authorities to remain inside while hearing her small dog, Journey, bark nonstop. Speck then saw the loose tiger prowling around a minivan outside by a neighbor’s house and alerted cops to the animal’s location. Soon thereafter, the tiger jumped over the fence into Speck’s backyard and started attacking her dog. The dog managed to free itself from the tiger’s grasp as cops began firing bullets.
According to Smith, cops had no choice but to kill the tiger after it attacked the dog.
Journey suffered a few scratches and will be okay.
TMZ adds in its report that the loose tiger in Atlanta was near the I-75 interstate and got close to Hardees fast food restaurant. Employees were told to stay inside as the tiger walked by. Fox 5 Atlanta reveals that witnesses heard about 12 shots being fired when the tiger was killed by cops.
Tiger on the loose near Atlanta killed by police https://t.co/YkS3CE2RmM pic.twitter.com/KiR4jiVDHt
— CNN International (@cnni) September 6, 2017
Capt. Smith told the Atlanta news station that because the loose tiger was in close proximity to a school bus route in a densely populated area and posing a risk to residents, authorities had to make the unfortunate decision to shoot the tiger.
Initially cops didn’t want to kill the tiger. Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary were contacted by police about bringing the animal to them after immobilizing it.
“Unfortunately, human life became at risk and the tiger was shot by the authorities,” Noah’s Ark said. “All of our tigers are accounted for.”
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Anyone with information on where the loose tiger in Atlanta came from is urged to contact police.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
