Mystery surrounds missing killer tiger

No sign of cat that fatally mauled owner, animal group reports

Published On Fri Feb 12 2010
Carmen Chai Staff Reporter

A Siberian tiger that killed its 66-year-old owner last month has disappeared from its Southwold township home.

That’s causing public safety concerns in the community, said the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

OSPCA officials went to the farm last week where the tiger was kept after the organization received a complaint about the well-being of animals on the property, said spokesperson Alison Cross.

She couldn’t elaborate on what the cruelty complaint was, but when investigators arrived, the animals, including the tiger, were missing.

The OSPCA does not know where the tiger is and Cross said there were other animals absent from the property.

“We’re just like everybody else here. We don’t know and we can’t speculate where they would be,” she said.

Cross added it’s “too early to place judgment on what’s going to happen” and that officials have tried to get in touch with the owners of the property.

The killer tiger’s disappearance has concerned the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

“I am worried about this and the public should be worried, too,” said society spokesperson Michelle Cliffe, who added more big cats have disappeared from the farm.

“If you look at past footage, you can see there was more than one tiger there. We even heard reports of cougars and lions there from neighbours.”

Both organizations are concerned for the well-being of the animals because they could be in poor condition with people who do not know how to care for them.

They do not know who, if anyone, has been taking care of the animals since their owner Norman Buwalda was mauled to death by the 650-pound tiger Jan. 13 as he was feeding the cat.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/764348–mystery-surrounds-missing-killer-tiger

http://bigcatrescue.org