Tiger on Loose Near L.A. Shot and Killed

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Wildlife officials shot and killed a tiger Wednesday that had been roaming loose for 10 days near homes in rugged terrain, north of Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Wildlife officials shot and killed a tiger Wednesday that had been roaming loose for 10 days near homes in rugged terrain, north of Los Angeles.


Prints left by a large wild cat had been spotted for more than a week near the hilly Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks residential areas.


California wildlife officials said they were called in early Wednesday morning when a homeowner saw the tiger on the edge of a housing development in Moor Park, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The tiger, thought to weigh between 400 and 600 pounds, was shot several hundred yards away from soccer and baseball fields.


"We had set traps and we were prepared to use tranquilizers. But unfortunately it was spotted in an area not far away from a shopping center, a highway and a residential area and we didn't feel we could risk having someone hurt," said Lorna Bernard, spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Game.


Officials with the Department of Fish and Game said no one had reported losing a tiger and they have been unable so far to determine where it came from. Tigers and other exotic cats can be kept by permit in California if safety conditions are met.


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Source: Reuters