Escaped Tbilisi zoo tiger kills man
TBILISI, Georgia, June 17 (UPI) — Two men were attacked by a tiger Wednesday that had escaped during the June 14 flooding of the Tbilisi zoo.
Both victims were hospitalized, and one later died.
The tiger was hiding in a storehouse near Heroes’ Square when four of the building’s owners entered around noon. The animal attacked them.
A flash flood Sunday submerged half of Tbilisi Zoo, killing many animals.
The flood took place because the Vere River was overflowed by heavy rain and high winds that produced a large landslide.
At least 20 wolves, eight lions, six tigers and several jaguars and bears were either killed or let loose by the flooding. Some animals have been shot by security services, such as a hyena that was gunned down after chasing a guard. This has drawn criticism on social media.
A hippopotamus was shot with a tranquilizer dart as it was chewing on shrubbery in Heroes’ Square.
The zoo, which now looks like a construction site, has been the rallying place for volunteers engaging in clean-up efforts alongside heavy machinery helping to move tons of slimy mud. Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania added that municipal employees are also working alongside the volunteers.
The flooding of the zoo also lends urgency to Narmania’s 2014 plan to move the zoo to a much larger area near the Tbilisi Sea. The plan arose from the realization that the zoo, opened in 1927 on the outskirts of the city, was now in the center of town and close to major highways. Besides the zoo’s destruction, 22,000 people were left without electricity, with Tbilisi’s vice mayor estimating damages of more than $6 million.
