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Georgia floods: Escaped tiger kills man | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A tiger that killed a man and wounded another after escaping from a flooded zoo in Georgia has been shot dead, the Georgian interior ministry says. | |
The animal was one of several to break free from its enclosure at Tbilisi Zoo last weekend, following severe flooding. | The animal was one of several to break free from its enclosure at Tbilisi Zoo last weekend, following severe flooding. |
Earlier reports suggested the men may have been attacked by a lion. | Earlier reports suggested the men may have been attacked by a lion. |
Police later captured and killed the animal, which had been sheltering in a warehouse in the city. | |
Internal Affairs Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri said: "We tried our best to sedate the tiger, but it was not possible because the animal was too aggressive. So unfortunately we had to liquidate it." | |
Huge clean-up at zoo | Huge clean-up at zoo |
In pictures: Floods chaos in Tbilisi | In pictures: Floods chaos in Tbilisi |
Hundreds of creatures drowned when the zoo was swamped by floodwater, while many others escaped. | |
Lions, hippos and bears were pictured roaming the streets, with residents urged to stay indoors and avoid contact with any of the animals. | |
On Tuesday the zoo suggested that all of the missing lions and tigers had been found dead, with one jaguar unaccounted for - sparking confusion on Wednesday when news of the tiger attack emerged. | |
Mr Gomelauri said the tiger was eventually found "hiding in an unused store room". | |
The Interior Ministry remains on high alert, he added. | |
The zoo's website says two white Bengali tigers live at the facility, one male and one female. | |
A post on the its Facebook page (in Georgian) said a news conference planned for 17:00 local time (13:00 GMT) had been cancelled. | |
The flash floods devastated parts of Tbilisi, claiming the lives of 13 people, including three zoo keepers. | The flash floods devastated parts of Tbilisi, claiming the lives of 13 people, including three zoo keepers. |
Up to six people are still missing and about 40 families lost their homes. | Up to six people are still missing and about 40 families lost their homes. |