Georgia Flood: Zoo Animals Escape; Residents Warned To Stay Indoors

Residents in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, have been warned by officials to remain indoors as strong floods destroyed animal enclosures in the city’s zoo, resulting to the escape of animals such as tigers, hippopotamus, bears and lions. According to Al Jazeera, three zoo staff members were dead and AFP news reported that the floods have taken at least eight lives.

According to the report, heavy rains hit the city on Saturday night. What was considered a small stream in River Vere turned into a violent raging river, flooding the whole city on Sunday. Authorities were on a hunt for the animals, capturing some of them while others were shot dead for safety concerns, according to a report from Sydney Morning Herald.

Sources say that a hippopotamus was found in one of the main squares in the city. A photograph from Reuters shows an officer aiming at the large mammal. The hippopotamus was shot with a tranquiliser gun.

BBC News also reported that a bear was found halfway up a building, clinging for its life on an air-conditioning unit. The report also stated that a lion, a tiger, and wolves were among the animals found dead.

City mayor Davit Narmania described the situation as “very grave” in the BBC news report. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has now called a lockdown for the city until all zoo animals have been recaptured.

President Giorgi Margvelashvili extended his condolences to the flood victims and the families as he assessed the affected area. "The human losses that we have suffered are very hard to tolerate. I express my condolences to all the people who lost their relatives," Mr Margvelashvili reported to the local TV, according to Sydney Morning Herald.

It still remains unclear as to how many of the zoo animals are missing. The search and rescue operation continues with helicopters helping in the mission. Paul Rimple, a Tbilisi-based journalist described the situation as “surreal”. “Helicopters are circling overhead and they've warned people to stay indoors but not everyone's doing that," he said in a report from Al Jazeera.

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