Posted on 02/23/2005 7:27:49 PM PST by Indy Pendance
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities shot and killed a male tiger Wednesday that had been roaming the hills near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The 425-pound cat was shot several hundred yards from soccer and baseball fields at the edge of a housing development. Authorities still don't know who the owner is.
"It's unfortunate that we had to kill it," said Lorna Bernard, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game. "It's even more unfortunate that the person who owned it didn't come forward and alert us immediately. We might have been able to capture it."
Trackers had to shoot to kill because a tranquilizer would have taken five to 10 minutes to bring down the animal, Bernard said. They were concerned the animal might attack them or bolt onto a nearby highway. The animal was killed near Simi Valley, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Authorities received a call just after 6 a.m. from a resident who reported the tiger strolling past his back fence. He said his children took pictures from inside their home.
Ken Tucker told KCBS-TV the tiger walked to a nearby house and "was just staring down" the neighbor's dogs.
The trackers had been looking for the animal for eight days, using infrared equipment at night. They had set traps with goat meat and chicken.
The hunt began after the discovery of paw prints on a ranch near the library that were far too large for native bobcats or mountain lions.
Bernard said the owner could have told authorities about the tiger's temperament and eating habits, which might have helped them catch the animal sooner.
As the cat roamed the hills, it became hungrier and disoriented, making it more dangerous to the nearby community of horse ranches and sprawling homes.
Authorities said they were investigating how the cat got loose in the hills.
"Obviously we'll be looking at all the facilities in the area that housed big cats," Bernard said.
Tests will be performed on the tiger that may provide clues about its history.
Hoo-boy! Get ready for the animal-rights nuts to go ballistic. Somehow, they'll blame RR, then W, for it.
Have they no shame..why God..why?????????
"There's a Bear in the woods..."
That's one hugh tiger, 425 pounds is no kitten. You know, it's all Reagan's fault.
This is crap that a beautiful animal like that had to be killed. I had understand the reasons for the killing (safety) but its still a shame.
Tigers just don't show up in Simi Valley for no reason. The person to blame is the owner who for whatever reason, didn't even bother to report the missing animal.
I'm afraid you're wrong; it's all Karl Rove's doing. He was behind the forged memo controversy, ya know. ;-)
looks like they wouldn't let tiger woods play through ... that's a tough golf course
Oh yeah, it's no coincidence that Karl Rove looks like Rush Limbaugh. Surely, you don't think that human cloning is a relatively new thing.
I would pontificate on what might be wandering around the Clinton Lie-Bury, but decorum prevents me from doing so.
And pretty darn wet and scared.
I suggest it found a taste for wild rabbits and coyotes in that canyon and was doing nice with those. They avoid water too.
Saw the video on tv, clean shot, took it right down. Shame.
Tonight Anderson Cooper said he did not know if the animal a pet or just wild in the area.
Maybe the owner got in his belly.
Nah, Karl would have black widows dumped by the bucket in WJC massage parlor in Little Rock, or maybe tarantulas... Tigers are pricey nowadays.
How many tigers are roaming California, or the US for that matter. Sounds like someone's 'pet' got loose. Pity. The owners should be held accountable.
For some desperate housewives? :)
Wait until the mud and crap is cleared by them :-0
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