Looks like a shotgun works.
Endangered female tiger shot at Lowry Park Zoo
Wednesday, August 23, 2006


Enshala was born in Lowry Park Zoo 15 years ago.
Lowry Park Zoo animal keepers shot an endangered female tiger Tuesday after the tiger escaped into a zoo construction area when someone forget to latch her door shut.

Enshala, an endangered Sumatran tiger, was born at Lowry Park about 15 years ago. Recently, the tiger had been living inside the Asian domain, which was an area of the zoo that was closed because of renovations.

A zookeeper was trying to put the tiger away when somehow the cage gate was left open. That's when the tiger wandered out through a vacant zoo building and into a construction area on zoo property just before 5 p.m.

A zoo veterinarian was called to tranquilize the tiger. That vet was able to hit the tiger with one dart. However, that just agitated the tiger even more.

After the tiger was struck by the dart, she tried climbing a seven foot wall that led to a very open and public area of the zoo.

That's when a specially trained team of zoo staff made the decision to put the tiger down with a shotgun, fearing she would escape and seriously injure someone.

"I feel sick to my stomach that I had to do that," Lowry Park Zoo CEO Lex Salisbury said. "I've known this cat since it was born. It's the last thing I'd want to have to do, but you know, I have a kid and people trust us with their kids and I don't want to do anything to betray that trust. I want people to continue to come to the zoo and that's why we are trained to do this kind of stuff."

It is a possibility the zookeeper responsible for leaving the tiger's cage unlatched will be fired.

Sumatran tigers are on the endangered species list. Scientists believe there are about 400 of the tigers in the wild today.

Enshala was one of the zoo's oldest cats. According to veterinarians, she could have lived up to four more years.

thats sucks


i wonder where the shotgun came from.  one of the the employees personal shotgun  i wonder ?

That's when a specially trained team of zoo staff made the decision to put the tiger down with a shotgun

Zoo Commandos are more badass than mall ninjas.

Quoted: That's when a specially trained team of zoo staff made the decision to put the tiger down with a shotgun Zoo Commandos are more badass than mall ninjas.

A 5 gallon catnip highball wouldnt have calmed her???????

I'd settles for nothing less than full .50 BMG!

Sucks they had to kill it.

As for the question in the thread title.
I can't think of many animals my trusty pair of boomers can't take down.
44 mag and 45-70.

Enshala sounds sorta like Inshallah. I don't know why they shot it-- it was a ToP (Tiger of Peace).  

Quoted: I'd settles for nothing less than full .50 BMG!

How about one of these?  





Seriously, though, it sucks they had to put her down.  

Last weekend he shot a 65 in the PGA Championship

Actually, the TV news said it took several shots from the shotgun to kill it. So no.

4 shots from the 12ga to finally kill a 185lb animal.  The artickle I read say the staff was trained by the HCSO.  Methinks they better train a little harder.

Quoted: Actually, the TV news said it took several shots from the shotgun to kill it. So no.

Not on BayNews9.

Quoted: Actually, the TV news said it took several shots from the shotgun to kill it. So no.

I wonder what kind of shotgun load he used? I bet solid slugs would have done the job right quickly.

for those of you that have never shot a kitty, they are one tough animal.....Something about having muscles attached to the skin itself, a 60 yard shot with a ballistic tip out of a 223 and it only left a 1/2" exit wound, not pieces like other furry kritters.

A Martini Henry in .577/.450 should do it.

Tigers are big muscular beasts.

African big game rifles are about all I would want to take into a fight with one.

An M1 Garand or something similar if I couldn't get the big game rifle.

For Tigers I think you probably need a 90mm for a reliable kill, it works good for Panthers too.

90mm Tiger hunting gun.

Seriously though…

"I feel sick to my stomach that I had to do that," Lowry Park Zoo CEO Lex Salisbury said. "I've known this cat since it was born. It's the last thing I'd want to have to do, but you know, I have a kid and people trust us with their kids and I don't want to do anything to betray that trust. I want people to continue to come to the zoo and that's why we are trained to do this kind of stuff."

Decisions like that are hard to make. The guy made the right and responsible one and didn’t let indecisiveness get someone killed. Someone buy that man a beer.

Quoted: thats sucks i wonder where the shotgun came from.  one of the the employees personal shotgun  i wonder ?

Hardly. Most zoos keep a small armory in case an animal goes berserk or becomes a danger to humans.

Shotguns and large caliber rifles are mandatory. Some have also added AR-15's and handguns to their inventory.

When a lion, polar bear, or an elephant goes on a rampage with tourists around, do you think the zoo personnel are going to dick around with tranquilizer darts and net guns, or put the animal down in the fastest way possible?



Also, I'm not surprised it took multiple shots to put the tiger down. Even people who are familiar with how tough animals really are can often be surprised by the resilience of a big cat. I've got a video on my computer of a lion taking a round of .300 Weatherby and charging the hunters. He took three more rounds at point blank range (don't know what caliber the second rifle was) and barely missed slashing a guy across the throat. It hauled ass away from them and took two more rounds before it went down permanently.

And tigers are MUCH larger and more powerful than lions. They're also more aggressive when on the attack; a lion will swipe with one paw and snap at you. A tiger will swipe with both paws and then close its jaws around your neck.

That sucks that the animal had to be shot due to someone else's incompetence, but put in that situation they did what they had to do.

Several years ago a Rhino got loose from the zoo a few miles from here. They shot it too. He'd gotten out of the enclosure and was headed for the highway. I'd hate to hit one of those at ~70 mph.

I remember many years ago in Denmark, an angry elephant got loose in downtown Copenhagen (from a circus), and police gunned it down with MP-5's

Quoted: A Martini Henry in .577/.450 should do it.

Yeah, but then some liberal will bitch about you using impoverished minorities to carry your baggage, process the corpse, and exposing them to dangerous conditions (nevermind that you're in the same danger). Not to mention shooting the tiger in a first place.

*sigh*

It was so much easier when you just had bloody Bohrs and Zulus to shoot. Now where's that blasted Gunga Din, he hasn't fetched my canteen, dagnabit!

Quoted: Quoted: A Martini Henry in .577/.450 should do it. Yeah, but then some liberal will bitch about you using impoverished minorities to carry your baggage, process the corpse, and exposing them to dangerous conditions (nevermind that you're in the same danger). Not to mention shooting the tiger in a first place. *sigh* It was so much easier when you just had bloody Boers and Zulus to shoot. Now where's that blasted Gunga Din, he hasn't fetched my canteen, dagnabit!

The good 'ol days indeed.  

Quoted: I remember many years ago in Denmark, an angry elephant got loose in downtown Copenhagen (from a circus), and police gunned it down with MP-5's

There was one that is always popping up on "world's scariest good animals gone bad most dangerous videos" shows where the POP (pissed off pachyderm) killed a trainer who was trying to save another trainer, busted out of the circus, and proceeded to cause destruction up and down the streets. Cops finally scored a kill shot after peppering it with various small arms.

Quoted: I remember many years ago in Denmark, an angry elephant got loose in downtown Copenhagen (from a circus), and police gunned it down with MP-5's

You could kill a T-Rex with 22's if you shot it 5000 times.

I've been watching Band of Brothers - so I immediately thought you needed on of these:



to kill this kind of tiger:

4 shots from a 12 gauge. Zoo guy didn't say what rounds he used.

Remember the gorilla that got out at the Dallas Zoo a few years ago??
My sister's friend is a Dallas cop and she said they used an elephant gun on it.
Anyone know what they really used??

That sucks that an animal like that has to be destroyed for someone's f***up, but my first thought was one of these flame throwing-gasoline-filled-super soakers.

Quoted: Quoted: thats sucks i wonder where the shotgun came from.  one of the the employees personal shotgun  i wonder ? Hardly. Most zoos keep a small armory in case an animal goes berserk or becomes a danger to humans. Shotguns and large caliber rifles are mandatory. Some have also added AR-15's and handguns to their inventory. When a lion, polar bear, or an elephant goes on a rampage with tourists around, do you think the zoo personnel are going to dick around with tranquilizer darts and net guns, or put the animal down in the fastest way possible? Also, I'm not surprised it took multiple shots to put the tiger down. Even people who are familiar with how tough animals really are can often be surprised by the resilience of a big cat. I've got a video on my computer of a lion taking a round of .300 Weatherby and charging the hunters. He took three more rounds at point blank range (don't know what caliber the second rifle was) and barely missed slashing a guy across the throat. It hauled ass away from them and took two more rounds before it went down permanently. And tigers are MUCH larger and more powerful than lions. They're also more aggressive when on the attack; a lion will swipe with one paw and snap at you. A tiger will swipe with both paws and then close its jaws around your neck.

Your wrong........Sumatran tigers weigh about 250lbs, while lions can be 500lbs. Sumatran Tigers are just more agressive, one of the most agressive of the tiger family if memory serves me right.

The Siberian Tiger is really the only tiger bigger than a lion, and not by that much really.

Quoted: Quoted: That's when a specially trained team of zoo staff made the decision to put the tiger down with a shotgun Zoo Commandos are more badass than mall ninjas.

Quoted: I remember many years ago in Denmark, an angry elephant got loose in downtown Copenhagen (from a circus), and police gunned it down with MP-5's

Hehe.

Quoted: I remember many years ago in Denmark, an angry elephant got loose in downtown Copenhagen (from a circus), and police gunned it down with MP-5's

If that had happened here, the cops would have immediately been swarmed by locals offering the use of their grill and/or a cooler full of beer. A full-blown barbecue would likely ensue, followed by numerous people spitting 9mm ball like watermelon seeds.