News

Actions

Mystery tiger killed near school bus stop in Atlanta

Posted at 10:57 AM, Sep 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-06 10:57:03-04

ATLANTA — A tiger spotted on Interstate 75 in Atlanta Wednesday morning was shot and killed by police.

An officer with the Henry County Police Department reported seeing the animal on the highway. Police also received several 911 calls about the tiger.

Police told CBS46 News that the tiger was shot by officers around 6 a.m. after it jumped a fence in a neighborhood near the highway. Police made the decision to shoot the tiger because they were not equipped with tranquilizer guns and did not want to wait until those guns arrived.

As the school day approached, officers didn’t want any children to be in danger as they waited at the bus stop.

Brittney Speck, who lives in the area, said the tiger pounced on her dog before it was shot and killed. She said her dog is okay but is obviously shaken. She also told CBS46 that her dog was about the size of one of the tiger’s legs.

It’s still unclear where the tiger came from, but Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove said all of their tigers are accounted for. The sanctuary released this 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.”