Tbilisi: Tiger that fled flood-hit zoo and killed man has been shot dead

Tbilisi, June 18: A white tiger which had fled from the flood-hit zoo here and killed a man on Wednesday, was killed later, giving a much-wanted relief to the local residents who have been spending sleepless nights after the zoo animals came out in the open. [Flood-hit Tbilisi sees a hippo being pushed on city streets after zoo animals escape]

At least 19 people were killed in the flood while property worth $45million were damaged. Three hundred out of 600 animals in the zoo were killed in the deluge. Animals like elephants and zebras, whose closures were located on the hillside, survived. Several people were also trapped because of the rising water.

Many animals were also also dead by the police, causing an uproar. Animal lovers have slammed the administration for taking such hasty steps and demanded probe into the killings.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili had earlier said that the police had a count for all animals that posed a threat to human life but after the tiger mauled a man, he apologised, accusing the zoo officials of misleading him.

Local news reports said on Wednesday that an African penguin had swum more than 30 miles downstream from the zoo to be spotted near Georgia's border with Azerbaijan. It was said the zoo workers had looked for the penguin but could not find it.

Oneindia News