A tiger may be on the prowl in Tennessee, and police are warning residents to keep an eye out for the big cat.
The large, striped cat was spotted by a Knox County sheriff’s deputy in the Forks of the River Industrial Park located outside of Knoxville late Wednesday night. The sheriff’s department issued a notice that said it was working with a number of entities to locate the animal.
If there is a tiger on the loose, it is not clear where it came from. All of the tigers at Zoo Knoxville are reported to be safely confined, and Tiger Haven, a big cat sanctuary located in nearby Roane County, said it also has not lost any tigers.
Mary Lynn Parker of Tiger Haven told Knox News her shelter has been helping with the search and that a trap has been set in an attempt to cage the feline. Parker said if the animal is captured, it will be taken in by Tiger Haven.
“We have all the proper equipment to transport and house a tiger,” she said. “So if it was caught, we’d have been able to load it in the truck and bring it to the sanctuary.”
Parker said the sheriff’s deputy described the cat as appearing to be striped and between 150 pounds to 200 pounds. She said that from the description, if the animal is indeed a tiger, it would likely be a juvenile.
“There are cougars and things like that native to the area, of course, but they’re a bit more slender than what was described,” Parker said. “Of course, it’s illegal to own a tiger in the state of Tennessee, but that doesn’t stop people.”
The Forks of the River Industrial Park takes up more than 1,400 acres near a wildlife management area. Overnight, police dispatchers received several calls about possible sightings of the tiger, according to WVLT. The sheriff’s office is encouraging people who spot the creature to call 911.
