Panjo, a 17 month old, hand reared tiger who lives with his owner Goosey Fernanded, went missing from the back of Fernanded's covered 'bakkie' en route to a vet visit 2 days ago in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The story captured the imagination of the nation and could have ended very badly indeed if the massive young tiger, who was no doubt under stress from being out of his familiar environment, not to mention hungry, had chanced apon a member of the public while on the loose. Happily the story did not unfold that way. A massive two day search which included the use of thermal imaging and a sniffer dog ended successfully at around 8 pm last evening when Panjo was discovered in a wooded area not far from where he went missing.

Now Goosey Fernanded will have to answer questions around the legality of his owning an exotic wild animal, and on his transfer method of the tiger. No doubt with Panjo gaining so much attention the animal welfare authorities will also be checking out his living conditions and ensuring that he is being cared for appropriately.

But for now, owner and tiger appear to be very happy to have been reunited and Mpumalanga residents can all breath a sigh of relief knowing they won't be meeting Panjo on their next trip to the shops.

(Fact source)