Three tigers shot dead by police after escaping from Canary Islands zoo
23rd March 2010

Three tigers that escaped from a zoo in Spain's Canary Islands have been shot dead by police. The animals escaped when the enclosure at the Cocodrilos Park zoo was being cleaned by an employee, who mistakenly pushed a button that opened the cage door. The park said in a statement that four of the seven tigers inside the cage stayed put but three escaped.  Civil Guard police later shot and killed them. No one was injured, and the zoo was closed at the time. About 100 police officers were involved in the operation to find the animals, although they did not leave the zoo's perimeter. The park said the cleaning employee was the only person near the cage when the animals got out.

More than 100 Civil Guard agents were involved in the search for the tigers