Dog jumps into tiger enclosure, survives attack
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Her neck is shaved with 12-to-15 puncture wounds. She has a gash under her right shoulder and a small tear on her right ear. The Shepard and Chow mix is now in the caring hands of Jessica Bergen at the Animal Emergency Center in Memphis, Tennessee. "We named her Tiger," Bergen said. "It's better then calling her stray dog."
"Tiger" somehow survived an attack from a real tiger after the stray dog ran past security at the Memphis Zoo and jumped over the railing right into the tiger exhibit.
"It looks like the Tiger slapped her around a bit she's got some small cuts where maybe some claws went in...she's got some teeth marks," Bergen said.
Herb Roberts is a curator at the Cat Country portion of the zoo. He saw the dog being attacked by the 225-pound Sumatran Tiger. Roberts says the youth and inexperience of the Tiger might have saved the dog's life. "She's never really had the opportunity to practice killing as she would have in the wild," Roberts said.
Bergen said the dog had several cuts and punctures and was in shock when it was brought in, but was pleasantly surprised at her overall condition. "Most times a fight with another animal results with a lot more injuries than just some punctures," Bergen said.
The dog is heavily medicated and on an IV, but is expected to be OK.
The important thing now is finding her owner. The dog was wearing a collar. But, no details of it are being given out so the right owner can make a proper identification.
