Another tiger on morning stroll sends children’s nursery into lockdown in Johannesburg

Another tiger roams free in this CCTV footage captured in Edenvale, Johannesburg. (Photo:Screengrabs)

By Jamie Venter and William Brederode

30 Jan 2023

Following the escape of Sheba the tiger, orange truly has been the new black in South Africa. Just as everyone was coming to terms with which Rassie Erasmus owned Sheba, news broke on Monday morning of yet another tiger on the loose in Edenvale. This time the tiger has allegedly been darted and taken to a sanctuary, but not before it was caught on video directly opposite a children’s nursery.

In the early hours of Monday, security camera footage captured a young tiger prowling the property of Johannesburg residents… in an incident that would leave anyone in the area with a bizarre sense of deja vu.

No, this is not a retelling of the saga of Sheba the tiger who earlier this month escaped her enclosure and mauled a man in Johannesburg before being shot and killed by authorities. Instead, at 5:22 am on Monday 30 January, a second escaped tiger was seen, this time in Edenvale.

Tiger, Edenvale Another tiger roams free in this CCTV footage captured in Edenvale, Johannesburg. (Photo: Screengrabs)

Keshvi Nair, spokesperson for the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) confirmed that “the Edenvale SPCA is currently investigating another case of an escaped tiger.”

Images and a statement from SOS SA circulating on social media state that the tiger has been successfully tracked and sedated and that the tiger will be taken to a sanctuary for safekeeping until further notice.

However, the NSPCA cannot confirm that the tiger has been captured and that according to their records, “she is still on the loose”.

It is believed that the animal is a nine-month-old tigress but it remains unclear to whom the animal belongs or where she came from, explains Nair.

The toddlers and the tiger

The footage of the tiger was captured at a residence which is directly opposite the Toddlers Corner children’s nursery according to Shane Titta, the principal of the nursery.

She said that the nursery went into “lockdown mode” where everyone stayed indoors and all windows were closed.

“It’s been a hectic morning,” she said, but everyone is safe and is remaining calm. When Daily Maverick called, the tiger was still on the loose in the area and Titta reported that the children were having their juice and tea.

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Incidents such as this are a consequence of a lack of adequate regulation surrounding the ownership of exotic animals in South Africa, specifically Gauteng, according to Smaragda Louw, the chairperson of Ban Animal Trading (BAT).

Big cats in backyards

The National Council of SPCAs had contacted the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Gdard) and alerted them of the escaped tiger, explains Nair.

“Given that Gdard and the Ekurhuleni Municipality are responsible for enforcing the legislation that allows these dangerous animals to be kept in captivity in the first place, some form of accountability and responsibility for the welfare of the animals and the residents needs to be taken by them,” says Nair.

“There are no laws to prevent people from keeping exotic animals in their backyards,” says Louw. She thinks that this fact is being exploited by people who want the bragging rights of owning tigers and those who chase the prospect of “big money” through the breeding of these animals.

The owner of the tigress, Sheba, who escaped earlier this month reportedly did not require a permit to own the wild animal because Gauteng is among the provinces that does not have a law to enforce permits and registration for exotic animals such as tigers.

Louw bemoaned the fact that the laws surrounding the ownership of exotic animals, specifically in the province of Gauteng, are outdated and said that it is now time that these laws are re-evaluated and rewritten.

For starters, Louw said that we don’t even know how many tigers are in South Africa, as no permits are required to own a tiger. However, the Year of the Tiger report released by animal welfare organisation Four Paws in 2022 states that South Africa is now the world’s biggest exporter of big cats and their parts, including tigers.

“This just shows us how unregulated, number one, the animal trade is and number two, that the animals are victims of humans’ greed and total, total stupidity.”

Louw said that these incidents with Tigers skew the message about conservation for the species.

She says that seeing tigers in the circus and escaping from residences, may send the message that tigers are plentiful and that there is no conservation challenge.

However, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that there are only about 4,500 wild tigers left in the world, while the Year of the Tiger report estimates that there are approximately 12,500 captive tigers worldwide. DM/OBP

The main image on this story was changed following publication after it was ascertained that the image was not of the tiger that was on the loose in Edenvale.

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The toddlers and the tiger

Big cats in backyards