12 killed, zoo animals on the loose in Tbilisi, Georgia, after heavy rains cause severe flooding

A hippo is helped after it escaped from a zoo in Georgia.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/AJENews)

last updated 15 June 2015

Heavy rains in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday caused severe flooding that killed 12 people and destroyed enclosures at the capital's zoo, allowing animals to escape.

The intense rain turned a stream that flows through the city into a river, leaving dozens of homes damaged and streets covered with mud and debris. The flooding killed three zookeepers, the zoo said, and many animals, while several lions, bears, tigers, and a hippo escaped. Residents were warned Sunday not to leave their homes unless it was absolutely necessary, and authorities are still searching for 24 people reported missing. "The special forces are doing everything to control the situation," Georgian Culture Minister Mikheil Giorgadze told NBC News. "We are all mobilized."

While some animals have been recovered, the zoo's spokeswoman said they are unsure how many remain on the loose and how many were killed by special forces. Zoo director Zurab Gurielidze said that a popular young white lion named Shumba was found shot in the head, according to Interfax news agency. “Our Shumba is no more,” he said. “It’s simply possible that someone exceeded his authority.”

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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