Sheba the Tiger’s Owner Details What Led Up to the Animal's Escape and How “It Took Guts” to Put Her Down

• The man who owned Sheba the tiger has finally spoken out about what led up to the predator's escape
• Erasmus confirmed that the fence to the enclosures were cut by a disgruntled employee
• The big cat owner said that it took guts for him to shoot Sheba after he spent eight years raising her

JOHANNESBURG - Rassie Erasmus, the man who owned Sheba the tiger, has opened up about the whole ordeal surrounding the tiger's escape.

Erasmus detailed what how Sheba ended up prowling the streets of the Johannesburg South town of Walkersville over the weekend and how he came to the decision to put the big cat down.

The self-described businessman said that the tiger originally belonged to his mother and that he was against owning the predator. But when his mother died she made Erasmus promise that he would take care of Sheba and her mate, Tyson.

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Speaking to TimesLIVE, Erasmus said that in the build-up to Sheba's escape the fence to the enclosure's that kept the tigers secure were cut. The man claimed that he suspected the fence was cut by a disgruntled employee who occasionally did work on the 11.5 hectare plot.

While on the loose, Sheba killed two dogs and pig and allegedly attack a 39-year-old man, William Mokoena, News24 reported. However, Erasmus disputed Mokoena's claim that he was attacked on Saturday night claiming that the big cat was still on the plot that evening.

It wasn't until the predator found her way onto a nearby farm that Erasmus decided to put her down. A team of people, including the owner tried to track her but it was reportedly difficult because the bush was too dense.

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Erasmus said tranquillising the tiger was not a viable option, and he had to make the decision to shoot her himself. Sheba's owner added it took an emotional tool to shoot the tiger adding that having raised her it took a lot of guts to do.

South Africans react to Erasmus opening up about shooting the tiger

@Osama2021_ said:

"He must be charged."

@HajPaij exclaimed:

"HE IS A MURDERER!"

@KentPlace8 asked:

"What is a non-indigenous animal like this tiger, doing in an enclosed space?"

@SonOfTheSoil_K questioned:

"Why are people allowed to own wild animals."

@Sello_Cr claimed:

"Nonsense. He knows very well where they were bought. Who gives them food such that a day went by without noticing the tiger had escaped?"

Sheba the tiger’s owner caught on video attacking photographer leaving SA in stitches: “Beware of the owner”

In a related story, Briefly News reported that tensions were high in the South of Johannesburg While authorities were looking for Sheba the tiger. The big cat’s owner, Rassie Erasmus was captured on camera trying to attack a photographer.

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Sheba the tiger’s owner caught on video attacking photographer leaving SA in stitches: “Beware of the owner”

The altercation inspired a lot of jokes from South Africans who said people should be more afraid of the owner than Sheba the tiger.

The video, which has since gone viral on Twitter shows Sheba’s owner confronting a man holding a camera. Though the audio is not the body language suggests that the pair were in a heated exchange of words.

Source: Briefly News