Police Shoot and Kill Bengal Tiger Roaming Georgia Neighborhood

A strange situation occurred in the early hours of September 6: Police found a Bengal tiger roaming an Atlanta highway. Residents alerted law enforcement after seeing a big cat jumping a fence into a private property. Tragically, officers shot and killed the tiger after arriving on the scene. Still, the details of the situation are a little more complicated.

A lot of confusion surrounds the situation. Inside Edition reports that officials thought the cat was from Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary.  The nearby sanctuary, however, stated that all of their tigers were accounted for.

Dose then cleared things up and confirmed what actually happened: The tiger’s owner was transporting the animal from Florida to Tennessee when the feline escaped from the truck. The owner is now facing criminal charges.

Noah’s Ark Sanctuary also provided further information.

A post on their Facebook page notes that police contacted the sanctuary to get animal specialists on the scene. These specialists planned on tranquilizing the tiger and bringing it back to the sanctuary, but the police killed the tiger before they could get there. Accordingly, the public has criticized these actions as rash. After all, Bengal tigers are on the endangered species list. Nonetheless, Dose reports that the police only shot the animal after the tiger went after a dog and then got close to a local school bus. Likewise, Noah’s Ark also thanked “the officers for trying their best to bring the animal to safety.”

What do you think? Did the police do the right thing? Should they have waited for animal specialists? Could the police have saved the tiger’s life? Or would the tiger have put other lives in danger? What about the owner? Does he take any of the blame? SHARE with your friends and let them know your thoughts!