News South African news
Panjo the tiger, who reportedly jumped out of his owners' bakkie in Mpumalanga this morning and went walkabout, has caused a stir locally and internationally as attempts are made to trace him.
After reports that the tiger managed to get out the bakkie between Delmas and Groblersdal and that his owners were worried about him, Mpumalanga's wildlife unit and the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sprang into action to help find him.
An eblockwatch alert had him spotted at a four way stop on the R42 near Nigel. Another report had him next to the Wimpy in Delmas. "I scrambled a driver to go out there and find him, but he found nothing," said an exasperated Louw Steyn of the Mpumalanga Parks Board's wildlife unit.
"If something happened in Delmas, we would know about it. We have been chasing everywhere... people are saying things like 'it's in the street'."
The manager of the Delmas Wimpy, sounding as though he was the victim of a school boy prank, dryly replied: "No, I don't think I noticed that," when contacted by Sapa for confirmation of the sighting outside his fast food outlet.
Dries Pienaar, also with the province's wildlife unit, said their main concern was to find the tiger and protect anyone who may encounter the possibly frightened animal.
If they found him, they planned to dart, not shoot him.
The Gauteng department of the environment said they were on standby to help in any way needed.
His owner Rose Fernandes has recommended that anyone that finds him must point a stick at him and say "no", or offer him a chicken to eat.
