Stray Dog Surives Tiger Attack
One stray dog is extremely lucky to have survived a tiger attack.
A 50-pound female retriever mix entered the Memphis Zoo through a service entrance. Workers chased the dog but she jumped over a railing and retaining wall which led to the tiger exhibit.
The dog swam across a 12-foot-wide moat to the tiger exhibit and was then attacked by a 225-pound female Sumatran tiger.
A zoo spokesman said, “The exhibit is designed to keep the animals from getting out but not for keeping animals from getting in. You can jump off a cliff but you can’t jump up a cliff.”
Workers, who were following the dog, used fireworks and air horns to distract the tigers from the exhibit and to get them back into their night enclosures.
One tiger had the dog in her grasp for several minutes.
The dog was treated by zoo veterinarians and was then taken to the Animal Emergency Medical Center, and she is reported to be in good condition.
A clinic manager said, “She’s resting comfortably. She’s fairly unscathed for the amount of damage that could have been done.”
Source: MSNBC
(Thanks Debbie and Sunshine 49)
January 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Pet that poor dog thought “out of the frying pan, into HELL”.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Hope the publicity hooks up that dog with a good, tiger-free home.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Tanya, I was thinking the same thing. Here she is thinking she is running to safety and BAM, she is looking straight in the face of a 225lb tiger. Man!! That must have been such a shock. Poor baby. I too hope she finds a forever home and I am so glad she will recover. You have to wonder what was going through the tigers mind. This dog could have easily been …I don’t even want to say it …and yet was left relatively unscathed, thankfully!! She is so adorable.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Poor baby. I hope this traumatic event will be blocked out forever in her mind. I can’t imagine the fear she was in.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Poor girl! I’m so glad she survived!
I hope she finds a forever home!
~The Lioness
January 11th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I live in Memphis. The day this happened it was storming really bad. Lots of thunder, lightning and heavy rain. This lucky girl probably got spooked by all this and looked for a safe place. Unfortunately, she did not make a wise choice. Lucky for her, this tiger was a female that was raised in captivity that may have had an instinct to hunt smaller “prey” that was running in her enclosure but didn’t quite have the technique down. No one has claimed her yet. She has been named “tiger” by the animal ER and zoo staff. She should get a good home out of this. There have been LOTS of inquiries from all over the country.Quite a pretty girl. Look at those soulful eyes. She’s got a great story to tell.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
She will be in demand. I hope the shelters get out all the dogs that look like her and use that bait and switch technique!
January 14th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Major thanks to the zoo workers who put themselves at risk to rescue the dog.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
The look on her face! She knows that she was almost the main course! She will not forget this. She looks so beautiful and needing love sooooo badly.