Tiger Roams in Hurricane’s Aftermath
Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 16th, 2008
Galveston, Texas authorities busy trying to clean up after Hurricane Ike have a new problem on their hands: There’s a tiger loose.
A county official told the Associated Press on Tuesday, September 16, that the animal somehow left its enclosure at an exotic pets center in Crystal Beach. Animal experts are coming in to try and catch the tiger.
Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough put it this way: “Turns out there’s a tiger, and I understand he’s hungry … so we’re staying away from him.”
Crystal Beach is on Bolivar Peninsula. The area is one of the hardest-hit by Ike.
The news follows reports of a lion holed up in a Baptist church with its owner on Bolivar Peninsula as well as livestock and other animals roaming amid Hurricane Ike’s wreckage.
There are no reports of any primate escapees, which often occur when hurricanes sweep through the southern USA and subtropical Florida.
- Similar Phenomena:
I’ll probably catch you-know-what from some people for saying this, but humans need to leave animals like this in the wild. They are not pets, they are not meant for human amusement. They are dangerous animals that need to be treated with respect and left in their native habitats. There is absolutely no compelling reason for people to have these creatures. Frankly, I’m not particularly in favor of zoos either for that matter. I can not believe a caged animal is a happy animal.
In emergencies like Ike these creatures can and do escape and they are not out there looking to be petted! The chance is too great that either some one is going to get eaten or the animal is going to be killed.
And no, for the record, I am not an animal right’s activist. I am a hunter and a photographer with a great deal of respect for wildlife.
Another perfect example of why this type of exotic “pets” should not be aloud without MASSIVE govt. permit fees, background checks(paid for by the applicate), bonding, and inspections of the “enclosures”. This one was on the coast barrier island that get hit by hurricanes every few years. DUHH! Hurricanes knock down fences and stuff. If I lived in Crystal Beach, I would sue the “owners” of this animal for EVERY thing they have so that they could now even think of getting another after this one is shot and killed.
I’ve been to Bolivar and Crystal Beach many times. It’s a tiny spot on a narrow peninsula- if you were at the top of a tall ladder you could see the Gulf and the bay at the same time. The only trees on the peninsula are scrub mesquites. The Gulf side is fairly well-developed (or was, before everything got blown away). Along the bay side are cattle pastures. If a tiger was roaming around this place it wouldn’t be too hard to find- there’s just nowhere for it to go, unless it headed northeast. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire peninsula had been underwater during the storm surge, it’s that flat- makes you wonder what a tiger would do to stay afloat.
Tigers are VERY good swimmers. I have not seen any thing about escaped exotic animals on the local press. One would think they would jump all over this type of “story” if it was real.