A Bengal Tiger Wandered Into a Residential Neighborhood and Attacked a Dog

Authorities in Georgia were forced to kill a Bengal tiger Wednesday after it turned up in a residential neighborhood and started attacking a dog.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources released a statement Wednesday evening that the owner and transporter of the tiger had been identified, and that possible charges are pending.

The truck belonging to Feld Entertainment Inc., which was transporting the tiger, had stopped overnight in Georgia and the animal had escaped without anyone noticing, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday. Police received a call that a tiger was on the loose early Wednesday morning.

“With the tiger in close proximity to a school bus route in a densely populated area, officers made the decision to put the animal down with gunfire fearing that occupants of the home could be in danger as well as others in the area,” Henry County Police Department wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

The owner of the tiger, who was named Suzy, was identified as Alexander Lacey, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and worked with different circus companies.

Brittany Speck, who said Suzy had attacked her dachshund Journey, recalled that the dog was “going crazy in the backyard,”and that she called 911 when she saw the tiger. After she made the call, Suzy jumped on her dog, who ultimately emerged unscathed.

“The officers I guess just started firing rounds and took it down and then gave me my dog back,” she told the AJC.