Dutch village on lockdown after tigers escape sanctuary

On the prowl: the tigers escaped through an open gate
Tim Graham/robertharding/REX/Shutterstock
Hannah Al-Othman15 May 2016

A village in the Netherlands was put on lockdown by police after two tigers escaped from their enclosure at a big cat sanctuary.

The escaped animals were seen prowling around the park in the village of Oldeberkoop in the northern Dutch province of Friesland.

Police spokeswoman Nathalie Schubart said officers and a vet had the animals in sight and were trying to tranquillise them as the sanctuary's outer fence is not fully secure.

She said the animals needed to be caught because of fears they could escape through the outer fence, "which would be dangerous for the people nearby."

Police tweeted saying: "Tigers in sight. We are now going to try to bring them back to the shelter."

After enjoying a few hours of freedom the two Bengal tigers were captured when police managed to sedate them and get them back in their enclosure.

Officers had warned residents in the small village 87 miles north east of Amsterdam, with a population of just 1,500, to stay indoors while the animals - named Radjah and Dehli - were on the loose.

The Felida shelter is home to several big cats including lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards.

It is thought the tigers escaped after a gate to their enclosure was accidentally left open.

The shelter provides a home to big cats who have been rescued from zoos and circuses before rehoming them, often in South Africa.

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