White Tiger Escapes Circus and Causes Havoc in Italian Town
- 7 years ago
A Bengal tiger named Oscar broke away from his trainers and handlers and went on the loose in the Sicilian town of Monreale on Saturday, after escaping from a Swedish circus around 9 AM local time. Video courtesy of Palermo Today shows the moment that the tiger was cornered by armed Italian police.
Local residents were ordered to barricade themselves in their homes after police raised the alarm, whilst special police forced the tiger into a trap in a private parking lot in front of a ceramic shop. Traffic police blocked highway 186 for several hours to ensure that no motorists would come upon the tiger by accident.
Police worked direct with Oscar's trainers and handlers to bring him in. Circus staff pleaded with police not to sedate the animal because the drugs could cause severe damage to the trained tiger. In the end, his handlers managed to convince the renegade animal to willingly give up his new-found freedom. Oscar the white tiger was finally captured after two hours on the loose and was safely transported in a cage back to the circus.
Local residents were ordered to barricade themselves in their homes after police raised the alarm, whilst special police forced the tiger into a trap in a private parking lot in front of a ceramic shop. Traffic police blocked highway 186 for several hours to ensure that no motorists would come upon the tiger by accident.
Police worked direct with Oscar's trainers and handlers to bring him in. Circus staff pleaded with police not to sedate the animal because the drugs could cause severe damage to the trained tiger. In the end, his handlers managed to convince the renegade animal to willingly give up his new-found freedom. Oscar the white tiger was finally captured after two hours on the loose and was safely transported in a cage back to the circus.