Carte Blanche investigation: There’s a tiger on the loose – WATCH

The recent escape – and tragic ending – of the tiger on the loose in the Walkerville area of Johannesburg captured the attention of the South African public.

Derek Watts and the Carte Blanche team conducted an investigation and discovered that there may be more to this story than meets the eye (of the tiger) …

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Sheba the tiger recap

To recap: She was an eight-year-old Bengal tiger named Sheba, hand-reared and loved.

But tigers are apex predators, so when this fully-grown female escaped from her enclosure in the south of Johannesburg, locals panicked.

ALSO READ: RIP Sheba: Remember Max, Shamba who also died in captivity?

Her owner, Rassie Erasmus, conscious of the danger she posed, was among them.

As reports emerged of Sheba feasting on domestic animals, residents grew increasingly alarmed, fearing they may be next.

It became clear to Erasmus what needed to be done: Sheba would have to be killed.

ALSO READ: Sheba the tiger incident proves risks of keeping wild animals as pets, SPCA says

It’s a story that enraged and baffled in equal measure.

What explains government’s reluctance to ban the keeping of exotic cats as pets?

And was her death the only possible solution?

ALSO READ: Neighbourhood watch: Footage of SA’s own ‘Tiger Kings’ surfaces

Watch below: