A tiger believed to have been owned by Germany's controversial 'Tiger Queen' has been shot dead by police after escaping its enclosure and attacking one of its keepers. The incident occurred on Sunday at a privately-owned facility outside Leipzig, in the eastern German state of Saxony.
Attack and Response
Police reported that a 72-year-old worker was attacked by the big cat inside its enclosure. The tiger was shot in a garden approximately 300 metres away from the enclosure, around half an hour after it escaped at 1pm local time. Several shots were required to kill the fully grown adult male animal, according to authorities, who confirmed that there is 'no longer any danger to the public'. The worker remains in hospital in a stable condition.
The Tiger Queen
Local media identified the tiger as one of several owned by Carmen Zander, a tiger tamer and performer nicknamed the 'Tiger Queen', a reference to the popular Netflix series 'Tiger King' featuring Joe Exotic. Zander trained the animals and performed in shows across Europe before housing them in an industrial estate in Schkeuditz, west of Leipzig. She featured in a 2015 documentary titled Wild Women: Gentle Beasts, which highlighted female animal tamers from Germany, Russia, France, and Egypt. Since 2022, she has been banned from exhibiting her animals commercially after years of showcasing them in circuses across Europe.
Investigation and Criticism
The cause of the tiger's escape remains unclear. Police will search the area with a drone to ensure no other animals were harmed. Authorities are reportedly demanding that Zander provide better living conditions for her tigers. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has issued guidelines requiring outdoor enclosures for mammals to offer at least 200 square metres per animal or mating pair, according to Deutsche Welle. Rayk Bergner, mayor of Schkeuditz, stated after the incident: 'The tigers have to go. With three exclamation marks. A solution is urgently needed now; the authorities must clarify this.'
Biologist Dr Yvonne Würz of PETA criticised Zander's actions, saying they represent 'not animal love, it's exploitation'. The animal rights charity has called for stricter regulations to protect privately-owned animals. Local residents described the episode as 'terrible and worrying' and expressed concerns about the conditions in which the tigers were allegedly kept. The Independent has attempted to contact Ms Zander for comment.
