Tiger Shot In Georgia Was Tennessee-Bound

STOCKBRIDGE, GA — An escaped tiger shot and killed in suburban Atlanta Wednesday was bound for Tennessee, the company transporting the big cat said, but no one noticed the cat was missing until hours after its escape from a truck.

Feld Entertainment spokesman Stephen Payne said Suzy, a 6-year-old Bengal tiger, likely escaped when the driver hauling the cat stopped for a rest break and to feed and water the tiger and its 13 compatriots as they made their way from Florida to Feld facilities in Nashville. Suzy and the others had been part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus which ended its 146-year run earlier this year.

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Suzy was eventually on her way to her owner, animal handler Alexander Lacey, in Europe. Payne said Suzy, having been raised in the circus, would not have been spooked as she wandered the outskirts of Atlanta, as she is not afraid of people and is used to noise.

Henry County, Ga., authorities received several calls about the big cat near a ramp on Interstate 75 during Wednesday morning rush hour. The animal sightings — a surreal experience for anyone driving into work in metro Atlanta — were reported near the Jodeco Road exit, police told local media.

Henry police officers called animal control but had to take the predator down as the safety of surrounding households came into question. Henry police Capt. Joey Smith said the incident escalated when the tiger attacked a dachshund at a home. The little pup, an apparently very tough canine named Journey, is fine.

“Unfortunately, it jumped a fence and went after a dog back behind one of the residences here,” Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And the officers had to use some force to put the tiger down.”

The officers had to shoot the tiger with county-issued firearms since they were not equipped with tranquilizer guns. The issue of schoolchildren appearing as the morning progressed also was something the officers weighed, WGCL reports.

Feld spokesperson Payne said the driver did not realize the tiger had gotten loose during the night until he arrived in Tennessee.

After seeing news reports about Suzy being killed, Feld Entertainment called Georgia authorities to inform them they were missing a tiger.

Additional reporting by Craig Johnson in Atlanta.

Image via Pixabay