Lost Dog Mauled by Tiger:AZA TN zoo

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http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5437727&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Lost Dog Mauled by Tiger

Last Edited: Wednesday, 09 Jan 2008, 3:06 PM CST

Created: Wednesday, 09 Jan 2008, 1:58 PM CST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) --
A lost dog was mauled after she made her way into "Cat Country" at the Memphis Zoo.

Zoo officials said the dog wandered into the zoo Tuesday afternoon and then jumped into the tiger exhibit. The dog was mauled by a 225 pound female tiger.

Zoo workers used loud noises and smoke to frighten the tiger away while they rescued the dog.

The dog is being treated for minor puncture wounds to her neck, shoulder and leg while vets look for its owner.

Officials are calling the pooch "Tiger."

The dog is being treated for minor puncture wounds to her neck, shoulder and leg while vets look for its owner.

Zoo officials said they've been flooded with phone calls from people thinking the retriever mix is their lost dog.

If you think the dog is yours, call 901-323-4563.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5437727&version=6&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Lost Dog Mauled by Tiger

Last Edited: Wednesday, 09 Jan 2008, 3:17 PM CST

Created: Wednesday, 09 Jan 2008, 1:58 PM CST

By Woody Baird
Associated Press Writer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) --
A stray dog that jumped into the tiger exhibit at the Memphis Zoo was attacked by a Sumatran tiger and was recovering Wednesday from puncture wounds on its neck and shoulders.

"This is one lucky animal," zoo spokesman Brian Carter said of the dog.

The tan, 50-pound dog, a female retriever mix, ran into the zoo through a service entrance Tuesday and led zoo workers on a brief chase before jumping into an enclosure containing two Sumatran tigers.

The dog bolted over a four-foot-high railing at the tiger exhibit and off a retaining wall, dropping about six feet into a 12-foot-wide moat. It swam to the interior of the exhibit and was quickly attacked by one of the tigers, a 225-pound female. The open exhibit's main walls are 18 feet high.

"The exhibit is designed to keep the animals from getting out but not for keeping animals from getting in," Carter said. "You can jump off a cliff but you can't jump up a cliff."

Tiger enclosures nationwide have been scrutinized after a 350-pound Siberian tiger at the San Francisco Zoo apparently jumped over a 121/2-foot wall around its pen on Christmas and killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. Two of his friends were mauled.

Memphis Zoo workers, who were close on the dog's trail, used fireworks and air horns to distract the tigers and get them into their night enclosures behind the exhibit's viewing area.

The tiger, which was born in captivity, had the dog in her grasp for several minutes, Carter said.

"She didn't have the experience of live hunting, but she certainly had the instincts," he said.

After emergency treatment by zoo veterinarians, the dog was taken to the Animal Emergency Medical Center in Memphis where she was reported in good condition Wednesday with more than a dozen puncture wounds on her neck and shoulders.

"She's resting comfortably," said clinic manager Clarita Atkinson. "She's fairly unscathed for the amount of damage that could have been done."

The dog was wearing a collar that did not include an address, Carter said, and zoo officials were trying to locate the animal's owner. The zoo is in a large park in a residential area of the city.

If you think the dog is yours, call 901-323-4563.
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