SCHKEUDITZ — German police shot and killed an escaped tiger in the town of Schkeuditz on Sunday afternoon after the animal attacked a 72-year-old man inside its enclosure northwest of Leipzig. The man was authorized to be in the enclosure, police said.

An emergency call about the escaped tiger came in around 12:50 p.m. local time. Armed officers tracked the animal to a garden, where they shot it to eliminate any further risk to the public. Police said there was no time to wait for a veterinarian because the area was busy with people.

The site, located in an industrial park, is run by Carmen Zander, a former circus tiger trainer, and housed eight tigers. A local rescue center offered to take the remaining animals. As of last year, Zander did not have an animal welfare permit to keep big cats, according to PETA. She did not respond to a request for comment.

On her website, Zander offers people the chance to book an "exclusive tiger petting event" and describes the animals as "tiger mice." She wrote: "I will fulfill your lifelong dream!!!" and "Touch my beautiful Bengal tigers — you are standing right next to my 250kg [550lb] powerhouses. You will be speechless!!!"

Local mayor Thomas Druskat called for the facility to be closed. "The enclosure has to go," he said. "It's unthinkable what might have happened if other people had been injured."

PETA representative Peter Höffken said the organization had repeatedly told local authorities how negligently Zander treats her tigers, including with regard to safety. "The incident was a tragedy waiting to happen," he said. "This has to be a wake-up call." In statements to local media in 2025, PETA said Zander's tigers were confined in cramped quarters in their permanent enclosure, in barren wire cages, and deprived of everything that would constitute a species-appropriate tiger life.