Zoo Animals Roam Loose in Georgia’s Capital After Flooding
Bears, wolves among animals that escaped from Tbilisi’s zoo
A man directs a hippopotamus after it was shot with a tranquilizer dart at a flooded street in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday. PHOTO: REUTERS
TBILISI, Georgia—Tigers, lions, a hippopotamus and other animals have escaped from the zoo in Georgia’s capital after heavy flooding destroyed their enclosures, prompting authorities to warn residents in Tbilisi to stay inside Sunday.
At least eight people have been killed in the disaster, including three zoo workers, and 10 others were missing.
An escaped hippo was cornered in one of the city’s main squares and subdued with a tranquilizer gun, the zoo said. Some other animals also have been seized, but it remained unclear how many were on the loose. Bears and wolves were among the animals who fled from their enclosures amid the flooding from heavy rains and high winds.
There were no immediate reports that any of the other fatalities were due to animal attacks. The zoo said one of the dead was Guliko Chitadze, a zookeeper who lost an arm in an attack by a tiger last month.
Cars are seen among debris at a street hit by a flood in Tbilisi. PHOTO: REUTERS
Heavy rains and wind hit Tbilisi during the night, turning a normally small stream that runs through the hilly city into a surging river. The flooding also damaged dozens of houses.
Mayor David Narmania told journalists that eight people were known to have died and 10 others were missing.
Helicopters were circling the city and residents were told to stay indoors except in an emergency. About 1.1 million people live in the former Soviet republic’s capital.