Mugger dies hiding in tiger enclosure
From correspondents in Johannesburg
December 21, 2005
A SOUTH African mugger has been mauled to death by tigers after
fleeing the scene of his crime and taking refuge in what turned out to
be a tiger enclosure at a nearby zoo, police said.
The incident took place on Sunday in Bloemfontein, about 400km south
west of Johannesburg.
"The guy who was found in the tiger enclosure had been trying to
escape after he had robbed a couple with a knife early on Sunday
morning" police spokesman Sam Makhele said.
"There were security guards nearby and they gave chase to this man and
he jumped the fence into the zoo and he ended up in the tiger
enclosure," he said.
He said the man had been mauled to death and had bite marks on his
neck. There were two tigers in the enclosure.
The mugger was not the first South African criminal to make the
mistake of hiding among zoo animals.
Max, a 200kg gorilla, won fame in 1997 after being wounded by a
terrified gunman who jumped a moat into his space in Johannesburg's
zoo while fleeing police.
Max pinned the fugitive against the wall of his enclosure and guarded
him even after being shot until police arrived, making him an instant
folk hero in crime-ridden South Africa. I guess a gorilla is smarter than
a
nigger
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