Slovakia on alert after tiger escapes neighbouring Ukraine, lurks in border areas

Police and local authorities in eastern Slovakia have urged residents to be cautious after a tiger that escaped from private hands in neighbouring Ukraine was seen over the weekend in a border area. The town of Ulic told citizens Sunday to limit their outdoors movements. Police warned people against taking any risks. They said they were informed about the escaped tiger by their Ukrainian counterparts.

Slovakian authorities urged people to immediately inform them if they see the tiger. On Monday, Slovakia's Environment Ministry said there had been no new sightings of the animal. On Sunday, the Poloniny national park located in the area had said photo traps registered the animal’s presence near three Slovakian towns.

The park said in a statement that the young tiger escaped from a private breeder in the Ukrainian town of Strychava, just on the other side of the border. Park director Miroslav Bural told the Slovak Tasr news agency the tiger was originally in an unspecified zoo in eastern Ukraine but was transported to the west of the country due to the Russian invasion.