Johannesburg - Sheba, the eight-year-old tigress that escaped from its farm enclosure on Friday and mauled a 38-year-old man, has been shot dead, according to Gresham Mandy of the De Deur Community Policing Forum.
"Sheba is dead. The decision was taken to euthanise her early this morning after she attacked and killed another dog," Mandy said on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, the first victim of Sheba’s wrath, William Mokoena, told eNCA how he escaped from the clutches of the female tiger after he had returned from a local spaza shop and had passed by a relative of his in Walkerville, next to the farm from which Sheba had escaped.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mokoena recalled how Sheba, the female tiger, pounced on him and attacked him.
He said he bent down to tighten his shoelaces when Sheba pounced on him. Mokoena said his head hit the ground. He went on to say that the tiger tried to grab his neck and drag him into nearby bushes.
"I was supposed to be dead," he told eNCA.
Mokoena said it was dark, and people ran out with torches to see what was going on.
Mandy added that on Wednesday morning at about 1.55am, he and a group of patrollers received a report of Sheba’s activities on the Arboretum Farm around Walkerville’s fruit farms, just two kilometres from where Sheba was reported to be roaming.
"She had entered a farm area with six dwellings where people and families living there. Sheba attacked one of the domestic animals, and a call was made for urgent assistance. Members responded to the scene and began to track the tiger.
The CPF member said it was not possible to contain or sedate Sheba, and at approximately 3.45 am, a decision was made to euthanise the animal while it was still safe to do so.
"Unfortunately, at that moment in time, darting her was not an option. Sheba had moved during the night across the hills to the west side of Fruit Farms, bringing her close to livestock and other residents in a more densely populated area," Mandy added.
"This was not an easy decision to make at the time, and the safety of the community of Walkers Fruit Farms was a priority."
Members of the SPCA in Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark confirmed knowledge of Sheba's death in the early hours of Wednesday. However, the animal welfare group said it was not present when Sheba was shot.
"This case proves why wild animals should not be kept as pets. The SPCA is opposed to the keeping and breeding of wild and exotic animals as pets," said the SPCA.
The Star