A tiger was shot and killed after reportedly attacking a caretaker and escaping its enclosure in an industrial district in eastern Germany. The animal’s owner was already under investigation for displaying dangerous wildlife without a permit.
A police operation near Leipzig ended with the shooting and killing of an escaped tiger on Sunday.
The tiger, which had belonged to a private facility in the Schkeuditz district of Dölzig, was said to have escaped its enclosure after attacking and injuring a 73-year-old worker.
Heavily armed police tracked down the tiger in an allotment garden just 300 metres from the facility and shot it dead.
A police spokeswoman told MDR that the call was made to kill the animal for public safety. They suggested there had not been time to safely evacuate the area and wait for a veterinarian.
The tiger had been loose for about 30 minutes, according to initial reports, and police had quickly confirmed that there was “no longer any danger to the public”.
‘Tiger Queen’ under scrutiny
The tiger belongs to an animal trainer, Carmen Zander, who keeps several big cats and is known as the ‘Tiger Queen’.
Zander had previously trained big cats and performed circus shows with them around Europe, but especially since the covid pandemic business has been slow.
Meanwhile Germany’s Tiger Queen has faced increasing scrutiny from the authorities.
Carmen Zander is seen putting on a circus act with three tigers at the Circus Krone in 2011. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Tobias Hase
Since 2022 Zander has not been legally permitted to show her tigers commercially. German media reports suggest that the Leipzig public prosecutor’s office is investigating her for advertising shows despite lacking a permit to do so.
She has also had to answer to the Eilenburg district court for violations of the Nature Conservation Act.
Authorities suggest that the space she has available is far below what is required for zoos and wildlife parks that keep big cats. Additionally she is accused of advertising “tiger petting events” on her website — a practice that is not allowed.
Big cats in captivity
In several federal states in Germany, keeping tigers or lions privately is still permitted.
Trade regulations exist, but the rules and their enforcement is not uniform across the country and there is evidence that potentially dangerous wild animals including big cats can be found and purchased on certain websites, sometimes at prices similar to that of a purebred dog.
Animal rights organizations, like PETA, advocate for stricter rules for keeping dangerous wild animals in Germany.
“The federal government must finally act now,” Peter Höfgen, PETA expert on wildlife, told the German Press Agency following the shooting of the tiger near Leipzig. He added that Zander’s tigers “should have been confiscated long ago”.
PETA has made numerous complaints to the North Saxony Veterinary Office since 2019 about inadequate husbandry conditions for domesticated big cats. According to the organisation, an animal sanctuary has offered to take in the animals.
An alleged lion sighting near Berlin in 2023 had sparked interest in the number of big cats held by private owners in Germany. In that case, after a widespread and costly police operation, it turned out that the ‘lion’ was actually a wild boar.
READ ALSO: How did a wild boar sighting in Berlin turn into a two-day lion hunt?
Ten years ago in Leipzig, a lion had been shot dead after it escaped from its enclosure at the zoo and a tranquiliser failed to stop it.
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