Authorities say a tiger is on the loose in East Knoxville, Tenn., and no one is sure where it came from.
Knox News reports the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency is now leading the search but have not spotted the big cat as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that officials with animal control, the Knoxville Police Department, TWRA, Air Watch, and Tiger Haven, a big cat rescue in Roane County, are “working to capture a tiger that was last spotted by a deputy in the Forks of the River Industrial Park,” reports CBS News.
On Wednesday evening, a Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy saw the animal in the Forks of the River Industrial Park, as estate covering 1,460 acres.
Local reporter Brittany Tarwater of WVLT reports the Knoxville Zoo has stated the tiger on the loose is not one of their animals and all the zoo’s tigers are accounted for. Authorities currently are clueless as to where the cat came from.
UPDATE: Zoo Knoxville tells us tiger on the loose is NOT one of their animals. All of Zoo Knoxville’s tigers are accounted for. @wvlt https://t.co/yCFcbO0ka1
— Brittany Tarwater (@WVLTBrittany) September 10, 2020
Matthew Cameron of TWRA said officials have not confirmed the tiger sightings, and if there is a tiger, they’re not sure where it came from, according to WVLT. One commuter posted a photo on Twitter appearing to show the tiger slinking through traffic on a busy road, writing “Traffic in Knoxville is fun today.” The photo, if it is the Knoxville tiger, appears to show a cub, and not full-grown cat.
Traffic in Knoxville is fun today. pic.twitter.com/UdwIw5doFl
— Travis Cabage (@Travis_Cabage) September 10, 2020
WVLT anchor Casey Wheeless says 911 has reported three tiger sightings since the beast has been on the loose. Those sightings were in the area of John Sevier highway near Thorngrove Pike and on Bales Lane.
The 911 center tells us they’ve gotten three reports of tiger sightings. They were in the areas of Gov. John Sevier Hwy. near Thorngrove Pike, also on Bales Lane. @wvlt
— Casey Wheeless (@WVLTCasey) September 10, 2020
It’s been a busy 24 hours for weird news in Knox County. Earlier a plane made an emergency landing on I-640 near Washington Pike. The highway was briefly closed down as the plane refueled and then returned safely back to the air. No injuries were reported.
The plane has been refueled and is back in the air. All lanes of I-640 East are back open. pic.twitter.com/6XtXT7LNof
— Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) September 9, 2020
In other tiger news, ABC announced last week Tiger King personality Carole Baskin will join season 29 of Dancing with the Stars. On Thursday the first song she will dance to was revealed to be “Eye of the Tiger,” according to the New York Post. Meanwhile her longtime rival Joe Exotic has been pleading for a presidential pardon in letters to President Trump, reports Fox News.
“If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you,” Exotic wrote in one of the letters, “not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what you believe no matter what anyone thinks.” He is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for participating in a murder-for-hire plot against Baskin, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act by falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act by killing five tigers and for selling tigers across state lines.