Norman Buwalda, 66, was fatally attacked by his own pet tiger in January 2010, years after he won a legal battle to keep exotic animals on his property. The attack occurred when Buwalda entered the tiger's cage to feed it.
Deadly attack in Southwold
On January 10, 2010, Ontario Provincial Police confirmed Buwalda was mauled to death at his property in Southwold, about 28 kilometres southwest of London, Ontario. The tiger weighed approximately 47 stone. A family member found his body and locked the animal in a separate section of the cage before calling for help.
Police Constable Troy Carlson said: "The owner of some exotic animals went out to feed the tiger which was in a cage or large pen and the animal attacked him and killed him. We don't know what actually took place because no one witnessed it, but the tiger ended up attacking him and killing him."
Legal battle over exotic pets
Buwalda had previously fought a two-year legal battle against a local bylaw banning exotic beasts on private property. The bylaw was introduced after a 10-year-old boy was mauled by a Siberian tiger on Buwalda's land in 2004. He successfully defeated the ban in the Supreme Court of Canada and continued to keep big cats.
The Dutch native had two lions, two tigers, and a cougar as pets, housed in a screened-in outbuilding. He was also chairman of the Canadian Exotic Animal Owner's Association and never faced charges for the 2004 attack, as he was legally entitled to own the animals.
Neighbours' reactions
Neighbour Joanne Does told the Toronto Star: "He told us once that he trusted animals more than he trusted people. He felt closer to animals than people." She added: "He appeared like a bully… but he was a very sad man, lonely I think."
Another neighbour, Patricia England, said Buwalda had told them his animals wouldn't hurt a fly. She commented: "It's not the animal's fault. It was just doing what a tiger does."
Following the fatal attack, the killer tiger was taken away and rehomed, and Buwalda's collection was disbanded.
