Weather News

Tropical storm Fay unleashes big cats

Tropical storm Fay, which has battered the United States state of Florida, is believed to have sprung a lion and a bengal tiger from their cages at a private zoo in Palm Beach.

In a statement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the large cats were captured without incident.

"The adult tiger and lion escaped sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Officers captured both animals by Wednesday morning and returned them to secure cages," it said.

The Commission says it is investigating how the big cats escaped from McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary in Palm Beach, 106 kilometres north of Miami, where they are kept along with five other tigers, five cougars, five leopards and other cats.

Tropical storm Fay is believed to be the culprit, after it drenched central Florida with heavy rain and 100 kilometre per hour winds on Tuesday.

Fay has also left a trail of death and destruction in the Caribbean, where around 50 people are reported to have been killed.

On Wednesday (local time) it was situated just north of the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, still kicking up a storm with 85 kilometre per hour winds.

- AFP

- AFP

© AFP 2008

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