German Police Kill Escaped Tiger After Attacking 73-Year-Old Man Near Leipzig

German police shot and killed an escaped tiger after it attacked and seriously injured a 73-year-old man at a private facility near Leipzig, with the incident centered on Schkeuditz on Sunday.

“Skip to main content Europe Tiger escapes private sanctuary in Germany, seriously injures man Police say animal could not be controlled and was shot dead by security forces near Leipzig Cuneyt Karadag 17 May 2026•Update: 17 May 2026”

Anadolu Ajansı

The Anadolu Ajansı account says the tiger attacked the man, who was working at the facility, before escaping from the sanctuary, and that emergency services took him to hospital for serious injuries.

blue News

The Canberra Times reports that police said the 73-year-old man was inside the enclosure when the animal broke free in Schkeuditz, on the outskirts of Leipzig, and that the tiger escaped about 1pm on Sunday.

The Canberra Times adds that officers later located the animal in a nearby garden area and then shot it dead at the scene, while police said there was no indication that any other animals had escaped.

The Canberra Times also states that authorities had not yet determined how the animal managed to get out, even as officers planned to deploy a drone to survey the area and ensure none remained at large.

A police spokeswoman described the moment the threat was found, saying, "The tiger left its enclosure. It was then found by police officers near a garden area."

The blue News account says police received an emergency call at around 12.50 p.m. that a tiger had escaped, and it adds that the tiger was shot by emergency services to eliminate any danger to the public.

DW

DW reports that the tiger injured a 73-year-old man who worked at the enclosure, then fled the complex, and it says the animal only managed to roam free for less than 30 minutes before it was shot by police in a nearby garden.

DW also quotes Dölzig mayor Thomas Druskat calling for removal of the animals, saying, "The enclosure has to go," and it frames the incident as sparking debate about the Schkeuditz tiger camp.

The DW account says officials said none of the other tigers had escaped, while a witness told DPA that the animals were "housed in far too cramped conditions," with very limited space to roam.

Multiple reports tied the tiger to trainer Carmen Zander, with DW saying the animal belonged to well-known trainer Carmen Zander and that she owned a group of big cats held in an industrial estate in Schkeuditz.

“Germanpolice shot and killed a tiger who previously attacked an elderly handler and escaped a private enclosure near the eastern city of Leipzig, police said on Sunday”

DW

The Sun says the tiger belonged to controversial animal trainer Carmen Zander, known as the “Tiger Queen”, and it adds that she keeps a group of big cats at the industrial site in Schkeuditz.

The Sun reports that authorities confirmed no other tigers escaped and insisted there was no further danger to the public, quoting a police spokeswoman saying, "There is no longer any danger to the public,".

The Sun also says officers launched a drone search to comb the area and ensure no other animals, including nearby horses, had been harmed, while police investigated how the tiger managed to escape.

In a separate Berlin-area incident described by GÉO Magazine, police said a possible lioness was not yet found and asked residents not to leave their homes, with the Brandenburg police spokesman Daniel Keip telling AFP that the provenance of the animal "n'est pas claire".