Cairo: An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced the owner of a wildlife farm near Cairo to two years in prison on charges of manslaughter after a tiger escaped from the park and mauled a child, judicial sources said, in a case that incensed local residents.
The Misdemeanour Court also ordered the defendant, Amr Sa’ad Eddin, to pay a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh2,000), they added.
The ruling is subject to appeal.
The case dates back to September last year when a tiger escaped from the farm in the city of Giza near Cairo and viciously mauled a nine-year girl. The child, identified as Amany Mohammad, later died of injuries sustained in the assault.
An elite police force shot dead the beast.
The child’s death sparked anger amid accusations that lax safety measures in the park allowed the tiger to escape to a nearby residential area where he attacked the little victim while she was playing.
Furious residents tried to storm the farm and kill other animals there, but were thwarted by police.
Investigations revealed that the five-acre farm had a licence from authorities to breed wild animals including lions, hynas and reptiles.
In a separate incident last December, a lion tamer was killed by a predator during a show at a circus in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria. Online footage showed the lion attacking the young tamer from behind in full view of terrified spectators.
