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Georgia official says lion that escaped from zoo has killed a man Georgia official says tiger that escaped from zoo has killed a man
(35 minutes later)
Related: Floods in Tbilisi and its zoo – in picturesRelated: Floods in Tbilisi and its zoo – in pictures
A lion that escaped from a zoo in the Georgian capital during freak floods at the weekend killed a man in the city centre on Wednesday, an interior ministry spokeswoman has said. Police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi say a tiger that broke loose after severe flooding at a zoo over the weekend has killed one man and wounded another, before being shot by marksmen.
“A lion from the Tbilisi zoo killed a man” near the capital’s central square, the spokeswoman said. “Police special forces were deployed and are hunting down the animal.” The Tbilisi zoo had previously said all lions and tigers missing after the flooding had been found dead and only one jaguar remained unaccounted for.
Georgian media said the lion had been hiding in a warehouse and escaped the citywide police search for the escaped animals, many of which were shot dead. Amid scenes of panic in central Tbilisi, police cordoned off an area of the city where they believed the animal was hiding. Special police units were deployed to a warehouse with tranquilisers as well as rifles. A government official said the police would “try to subdue it if possible but would have to shoot it if there is any danger to life”.
On Tuesday, authorities said that all of the lions and tigers that were missing after the flooding had been found dead. One jaguar remained unaccounted for, the said, but zoo staff had little hope that it survived. It is not clear how the animal, which police said was a young white tiger cub, managed to escape. Initial reports said the animal was believed to be a lion.
Zoo officials had said on Tuesday that eight lions, all seven of the zoo’s tigers and at least two of its three jaguars were killed in the flooding in Georgia’s capital caused by heavy rains over the weekend.
Related: Georgia police accused of unnecessarily shooting zoo animals in wake of floodsRelated: Georgia police accused of unnecessarily shooting zoo animals in wake of floods
An intense downpour that began late on Saturday turned a stream that runs through Tbilisi into a raging torrent that destroyed houses and tore up roads. At least 17 people were killed and about 40 families lost their homes. Floods hit Tbilisi on Sunday, killing at least 17 people and ravaging the city’s central districts including the zoo, where hundreds of animals - including lions, tigers, wolves and a hippo escaped.
The flooding ravaged the city’s central districts including the zoo. Hundreds of animals – including lions, tigers, wolves and a hippo – escaped. More than half of the animals – some 300 species – either drowned in the muddy waters or were killed by police.
Over half of the animals - some 300 species - either drowned in the muddy waters or were killed by police. A young white lion named Shumba, one of the zoo’s most beloved attractions, was found shot in the head on zoo territory on Sunday.
The flooding also killed hundreds of homeless dogs at a private shelter near the zoo, shelter staff said.