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A loose tiger that was spotted on the northbound side of I-75 on Wednesday morning is no longer a threat after being shot several times by police officers in a nearby neighborhood.
A police officer with the Henry County Police Department reported seeing the loose tiger on the highway near Jodeco Road and police received several 911 calls about the animal early Wednesday morning.
According to reports, the tiger was shot after it was seen jumping a fence of a resident in the area around 6 AM. The officers made the decision to shoot the animal because they weren’t equipped with tranquilizer guns and did not want to risk waiting. Furthermore, officers did not want any children to be in danger as they waited at the bus stop.
via CBS 46:
Several Facebook friends commented on our posts, saying they saw the animal at some point. A worker at a Hardees location nearby says a man who was in the parking lot told her that the tiger was on the loose when she arrived for work just before 4 a.m.
CBS46 Facebook friend Connie Kidd says she reported the animal to police around 4:40 a.m. Kidd says the animal was walking through her front yard.
A woman who lives in the area says the tiger pounced on her dog before it was killed. The woman says her dog is okay but is obviously shaken.
While it is still unclear where the tiger came from, the nearby Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove said all of their tigers are accounted for. They released a statement on the situation:
“Noah’s Ark was contacted by Henry County Police with reports of a loose tiger on I-75. We responded immediately and were on the way to the scene with hopes of chemically immobilizing the tiger and bringing it to Noah’s Ark. Unfortunately, human life became at risk and the tiger was shot by the authorities. All of our tigers are accounted for. Thank you to the officers for trying their best to bring this animal to safety.”
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