By Zuko Komisa
Tiger is no longer on the loose, ‘Sheba’ was finally captured and put down.
A female tiger that escaped at Walkers Fruit Farm in Johannesburg’s south was finally captured and put down on Wednesday morning.
Sheba, a female tiger escaped from captivity over the weekend and left a path of distribution, injuring a man and killing a dog.
Days were spent attempting to dart her by the local police, special search teams, a helicopter, and the SPCA.
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The tiger was discovered early on Wednesday at Arboretum Farm near Walkers Fruit Farms, around 2 kilometres from where it was last seen sauntering, according to Gresham Mandy of the community policing forum (CPF).
“She had entered a farm area with six dwellings with families living there. Sheba attacked and killed a domestic animal and a call was made for urgent assistance. Members responded to the scene and began to track the tiger,”
“At 3.45am the decision was made to euthanise her while it was safe to do so. Unfortunately darting her was not an option. “Sheba had moved during the night across the hills to the west side of Fruit Farms, bringing her close to livestock and residents in a more densely populated area. This was not an easy decision to make and the safety of the community of Walkers Fruit Farms was a priority,” Mandy said.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species lists tigers as “Endangered,” according to the Midvaal Local Municipality, thus the decision to put Sheba the tiger to death euthanize was not made lightly.
“During the intense three-day search, many efforts and resources were put to capture the tiger safely and alive. The decision to euthanise Sheba was taken to protect the lives of residents as she had become increasingly dangerous,” said Midvaal Executive Mayor, Ald Peter Texeira.
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