Old news from Armidale and New England

Thursday 2 April 1942, The Argus (Melbourne)

Woman’s Ordeal

SYDNEY, Wed: Two tigers and a mandrill (a large baboon) escaped from Perry Bros. Circus menagerie when their cages were smashed in a road accident 2½ miles from Inverell, early this morning. One tiger killed the mandrill, and later both tigers were shot dead by the police.

A terrified woman locked herself and her children in her house when she saw one of the tigers in her garden. Her husband was away shooting rabbits at the time. The woman, Mrs W. Dean, lives some distance from the road where the accident occurred. Her screams attracted Sgt Toone and Constables Rook and Moore, who were hunting for the tigers in bright moonlight. They saw one coming from the direction of the house. Sgt Toone and Constable Moore both fired, and the tiger fell dead.

The second tiger was then seen tearing at the body of the mandrill. As police approached, it came bounding towards them, and Sgt Toone and Constable Rook both scored hits. The tiger jumped into the air with a roar before it died.