Escaped tiger's killing sparks outrage
There's been outrage to the killing of a tiger that'd escaped from the Natal Zoo Park.
The animal which had belonged to Brian Boswell - the owner of the Brian Boswell circus - had been on the loose since Tuesday.
Boswell reportedly says they had to put the tiger down as it wouldn't have been safe to first tranquilize it.
An anti-animal cruelty group says there's comfort in the fact that the tiger experienced a little freedom before it died.
Miranda Jordan who's with Activists for Animals Africa says they've long been fighting for the freedom of wild animals - from confined spaces such as parks and circuses - where they're used for entertainment purposes. Jordan says this is unnatural to these animals.
"We must remember that these acts can only be performed with a lot of coercion. They will not naturally perform the types of acts that we see. Animals jumping through hoops and fire - an animal will naturally shy away from that kind of behaviour," she said.
Authorities are investigating how the animal escaped.
A tiger escaped from The Natal Zoo. Professional trackers located it 2km from the zoo. A vet was on site ready to dart...
Posted by Official Brian Boswell's Circus on Thursday, December 17, 2015
Boswell Circus prophess to love their big cats so much they tried to shoot their own tiger?
https://t.co/Jug2iTyeYZ pic.twitter.com/4eAYCeDpvh
— Freja Petersen (@Freja_Petersen) December 16, 2015Boswell Circus Tiger SHOT and not darted with a tranquilizer ?
DISGUSTING!
BAN CIRCUS ACTS WITH LIVE ANIMALS... https://t.co/jNgnyJMuVy
— Joanne Kleinhans (@Paws4usSA) December 17, 2015OUTRAGEOUS! Those #tigers were kept in a TINY cage!! Needs closure! Escaped Boswell tiger killed with shotgun https://t.co/Q1cI0m6pMZ (via )
— Christine Jordaan (@CMJordaan) Decembe
r 17, 2015(File photo: Getty Images)