Zoo animals loose in streets after flooding hits Georgian capital

Escaped lions, bears and a hippopotamus from the Tbilisi Zoo were roaming the streets of the Georgian capital Sunday, after flooding killed at least 10 people.

Georgian leaders asked residents to stay inside as they sought to track down the escaped animals, which were adding a chaotic element to an already painful human situation. A zoo hippopotamus swam out of its enclosure and onto the central Heroes’ Square, eating leaves off a tree before being shot with a tranquilizer dart in front of a Swatch store.

The animals on the loose created an unpredictable backdrop for rescue efforts. Rescuers used rafts and inflatable boats to reach people trapped by flooding. At least one lion and one bear were shot and killed by police officers, and a hyena chased a security guard across part of a university campus before it, too, was shot dead.

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