Reward of Up to $2,500 Offered for Help in Escaped Tiger Case

PETA Joins Henry County Animal Control in Search for Owner of Big Cat Killed Outside Atlanta

For Immediate Release:
September 6, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

This morning, a tiger discovered roaming loose was shot and killed by law-enforcement officials in Henry County, outside Atlanta. So far, no one has come forward to claim ownership of the animal, so officials have been unable to determine what led to the escape and what laws may have been broken. That’s why PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for the identity of the tiger’s former owner.

“Wild animals belong in the wild, and when dangerous apex predators are confined to private homes or for entertainment, the consequences can be fatal,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “This escaped tiger’s owner must be found, and PETA invites anyone else harboring exotic animals in Henry County to come forward to help get them transferred to reputable sanctuaries.”

In nature, tigers have home ranges of hundreds of miles, in which they roam, swim, choose their mates, and raise their young. Confining them to cramped cages denies them everything that’s natural and important to them, and big cats have been known to lash out in frustration and to escape: In 2011, four dozen exotic animals were shot and killed after they were released from a private menagerie in Zanesville, Ohio.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Henry County Animal Control at 770-288-7387.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.