Siberian tiger cub captured on Vancouver Island
This is a Siberian Tiger cub, not the same as the cub on loose
photo from http://flickr.com/photos/milosadame/181501228/
A week and a half after a fatal tiger mauling in northern B.C., a Siberian tiger cub was on the loose in the Vancouver Island community of Cowichan Lake Sunday.
RCMP were called out to handle the 90-kilogram tiger which was eventually captured by its owner.
The cat was lured to a small shed after which it was transported back to the owner’s residence.
On May 11, 32-year-old Tanya Dumstrey-Soos was standing near the tiger’s cage in a private zoo-like ranch owned by her fiance when the animal clawed her. She bled to death despite the efforts of the owner’s children.
The SPCA had safety concerns about tigers at the ranch and wanted to remove them but, without clear guidelines, they couldn’t take action.
The big cat was euthanized a day after the attack.
Canadian press
A wildlife rehab expert believes Canada should ban the importation and ownership of exotic and endangered animals. Paul Springate at the Surrey Rainforest Reptile Refuge says the mauling death of a woman by a tiger two weeks ago, and the escape of a tiger on Vancouver Island yesterday never would have happened if a ban had been in place.
He thinks the only reason endangered animals should be allowed in Canada is to breed them, so their offspring can be released in the wild. Springate says if the Canadian government doesn’t allow you to own domestic wild animals like eagles and foxes, then it shouldn’t allow you to own a foreign wild animal either.
CKNW News
