Escapee Tigers At Western Romanian Zoo Found After 7 Hours

Local authorities allege a visitor opened the tigers' cage and freed them. Hunedoara deputy mayor Robert Dan said zookeepers found a door open at the back of the cage, and the animals are thought to have escaped through there.

"Only part of the zoo is open to visitors. It was near closing time and visitors were asked to leave. It is possible that a visitor went to an area where visitors are not allowed and unscrewed the tigers' cage door," Dan said.

Local hunters and the emergency inspectorate searched for the escaped tigers for about seven hours before finding and tranquilizing them. The tigers were taken back to the zoo and no one was injured.

Zoo manager Ciprian Horvat said one of the tigers was a pregnant female and the other was her mate.

The two tigers escaped Friday afternoon and security guards noticed the animals were missing. The deputy mayor said there were about 15 visitors at the zoo when the tigers were found missing, but they were all evacuated safely.

Local veterinary authority chief Mihail Rudeanu said an investigation is underway to see how the animals managed to escape.

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