The tigress, named Sheba, escaped from a property in the Walkerville area over the weekend.
A tigress is on the loose in the Midvaal area, south of Johannesburg. Image: pixabay.com
JOHANNESBURG – A tiger on the loose in south Johannesburg has brought the debate over keeping wild animals as pets back into the spotlight.
The tigress, named Sheba, escaped from a property in the Walkerville area over the weekend.
READ: Sheba, the tigress seen near the Midvaal waterhole
As the search for the big cat entered its third day, with many residents nervous, the SPCA National Council reiterated that it was not against the law to keep a predator such as a tiger as a domestic pet.
NSPCA wildlife unit manager Doug Wolhuter said becoming a tiger owner was surprisingly easy, at least in Gauteng, due to various loopholes and poorly implemented statutes.
“When it comes to tigers, because they are exotic animals, only an import permit is required from one province to another, so if the animals are coming from the northwest to Gauteng, then a Gauteng import permit is needed.”