Posted on 07/13/2004 5:15:52 AM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
Tarzan's Escaped Tiger Eludes Capture
POSTED: 5:23 pm EDT July 12, 2004 UPDATED: 7:56 am EDT July 13, 2004
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. -- A 6-year-old tiger eluded capture Tuesday after escaping a day earlier from the residence of an actor who played Tarzan, even though officials said the cat had only roamed about 200 yards from his home.
Deputy sheriffs and state game officials set up a perimeter around a search area that was a half-mile wide and 2 1/2-miles long, and started beating the bush again at daybreak, said Willie Puz, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
After "a quiet, uneventful evening," officials hoped the 600-pound tiger would simply grow hungry and return home in search of food, Puz said.
The tiger was reported missing around 3 p.m. Monday from the home of Steve Sipek, who played Tarzan under the screen name Steve Hawkes in movies made in the late 1960s, said Paul Miller, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Sipek has raised the tiger since it was a cub.
When the first deputies arrived on the scene, the cat jumped on top of their car, Miller said. Puz said searchers on the ground spotted the cat several times into the evening, but were never close enough to shoot it with tranquilizer darts.
Though law enforcement officers were available to escort nervous residents away to tiger-free areas, Puz said officials were encouraging people to "go about their normal business."
"The tiger has only roamed about 200 yards from its home, which means it's not out free-roaming all over ... the neighborhood," he said.
Sipek has another tiger, two lions, a black leopard and a cougar on his property, the Palm Beach Post reported. The cats, mostly castoffs from zoos, are usually kept in a mazelike series of interlocking cages.
The 5-acre property is about 15 miles west of Palm Beach. It is bordered by other similar sized estates and mini-ranches, many with livestock. Lion County Safari and the swampy Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge are a few miles away.
In February 2002, a 750-pound tiger mauled a woman who was helping Sipek during a photo shoot at his compound. She was bit on the head.
Woman attacked by Tiger while painting Tarzan's home
From Ananova News 3 rd February 2002
A Florida woman has been attacked by a tiger while decorating the home of a former Tarzan actor.
Carol Pistilli was bitten on the back of her head by four-year-old Bobo as she painted part of his cage.
Steve Sipek has a permit to keep two lions, four tigers, a black leopard and a cougar in his home.
He allows the big cats to wander the premises and even sleeps in the same area. A sign outside his home in Loxahatchee warns trespassers will be eaten, reports the Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Wildlife officers say Mr Sipek looks after his animals well and the incident was an accident. Mrs Pistilli, 58, is in hospital but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
It is reported she had fed some of the big cats steaks a few minutes before the attack and thought the animals had gone outside when she walked into their cage.
Mr Sipek said: "She didn't think to close the door. She started painting and he pounced on her. Bobo, he's a wonderful cat. He wouldn't hurt anybody. He's a puppy, not a tiger."
Mr Sipek starred as Tarzan in two films under the name Steve Hawkes. He says he fell in love with big cats when a lion dragged him away from a fire on a film set.
© Ananova, 3 rd February 2002
I hope this was videotaped--with sound.
And the front seat of the police cruiser is still being cleaned..
Never trust a cat..
Don't be a p#$$y.
"Here kitty-kitty..."
Works every time.
Coming soon to America's Wildest Police Chases. The on-dash camera shot of the tiger approaching and leaping onto the hood complete with audio of the deputy attaching religious adjectives to fecal matter.
And replete with guy screams.
I love stuff like that.
Take a look over here...Tarzan's cat got loose....
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