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rfmcdonaldJonas' safe return makes another reason, after my relatives, for me to visit Toronto's easternmost GO Train-accessible community of Bowmanville. Good kitty, good kitty. (This picture was taken by the Sûreté du Québec and is available at this CBC article.)
Everyone was afraid that Jonas could be killed thanks to the failing of the delicate feline metabolism I've come to understand via Shakespeare. Fortunately, all was well.
For a few days, I wondered if the thieves might have been so surprised by their unexpected haul that--to put it one way--Jonas might have been fed more than adequately. No one's dead, thank God.
(Look at those beautiful blue eyes. Just look. Good kitty.)
Jonas the tiger made his first public appearance at the Bowmanville Zoo after his dramatic ordeal, when the trailer he and two camels were housed in was stolen.
"He's safe, he's back," said zoo owner Michael Hackenberger.
The animals were on their way home from performing in the Cirque Estival in New Brunswick when they disappeared. The driver stopped at a motel an hour east of Montreal and checked on the animals several times overnight, but early in the morning of June 18, the vehicle and trailer were gone.
"It was a crime of opportunity. They saw a nice truck and trailer and scooped it. And low and behold, they opened it up and got more than they bargained for," said Mr. Hackenberger. "Our windows are very high, so you can't peer in. You'd think it was a big horse trailer. Maybe they were trying to steal horses. Scrap prices on aluminum are so high it's worthwhile to steal just the trailer."
After a frantic weekend search, Quebec police located the animals uninjured in rural Quebec on Monday night. It looks as though the animals were never removed from their trailer. A reward of $20,000 was offered by the zoo for the return of the animals over the weekend, and police received a telephone tip Monday.
Everyone was afraid that Jonas could be killed thanks to the failing of the delicate feline metabolism I've come to understand via Shakespeare. Fortunately, all was well.
Large cats eat so much protein that without water, the protein can turn to nitrogen and permanently damage the kidneys, explained Mr. Hackenberger.
"The biggest fear was the fear his kidneys were compromised and he would have died," said Mr. Hackenberger.
[. . .]
The tiger was fed through the mesh of his cage. The thieves fed Jonas several cans of Friskies cat food, plus some meat from the butcher shop, said Mr. Hackenberger.
"It's not a diet that could have kept him going long term," said Mr. Hackenberger.
For a few days, I wondered if the thieves might have been so surprised by their unexpected haul that--to put it one way--Jonas might have been fed more than adequately. No one's dead, thank God.
(Look at those beautiful blue eyes. Just look. Good kitty.)
