[FEL-L] Lowry Park Zoo Tiger Escapes

[Chufff at aol.com]

Well, I guess this proves that this sort of incident doesn't just ONLY happen 
at privately-owned comounds:

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Tiger Killed After Escaping At Tampa Zoo
POSTED: 7:02 am EDT August 23, 2006


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TAMPA, Fla. -- A 14-year-old endangered tiger was fatally shot when it 
threatened to enter a public area at Lowry Park Zoo after escaping its holding cell 
by a latch left unlocked, zoo officials said.


Enshala, a Sumatran tiger, was being secured shortly before the zoo's closing 
about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday when she slipped through an open door and in to a 
construction area, said Lex Salisbury, the zoo's president and chief executive 
officer.


Zoo veterinarian David Murphy shot a tranquilizer dart at the animal, but she 
became agitated and lurched at Murphy and a 7-foot wall separating the area 
from the public, officials said. That prompted Salisbury to shoot the tiger 
with a 12-gauge shot gun. When the animal continued moving, Salisbury fired three 
more shots, killing the tiger.
 


"I feel sick to my stomach that I had to do it," Salisbury said. "I've known 
this cat since it was born. And it's the last thing I would want to have to 
do."


This was the first time an animal at the zoo had to be killed because it 
posed a threat, officials said.


A couple dozen people in the park at the time of the tiger's escape were 
escorted to secure buildings or off property, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Nelson said.


The open latch is under investigation and repercussions for human error could 
include termination, Salisbury said.


Enshala was born at the zoo and spent most of her life there with the 
exception of three years when she lived at the Zoo in Gulf Breeze.


Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the tiger subspecies and are only found 
in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to the Honolulu Zoo. 
There are fewer than 500 left in the wild.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material 
may not be 
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