A 911 dispatcher started getting strange calls the other night. When the first Atlanta resident called in to say that they had seen a tiger roaming loose around their metro-Atlanta neighborhood, we're guessing the dispatcher thought it was a poorly executed practical joke.., but then as more concerned residents started calling in, it became a scary reality. A tiger. Loose. In a major metropolitan city.

The tiger, who was a star of the Ringling Bros., had apparently escaped from its enclosure while it was being prepped for transport.

Police wondered how the fully grown female tiger, Suzy, had managed to escape to the Atlanta suburbs. The company that was responsible for transporting the large jungle cat didn't even realize that Suzy was missing until the truck that was supposed to hold her showed up in Tennessee, empty.

Suzy was eventually tracked down and killed by Atlanta police, after she had attacked Journey, a small dachshund. It wasn't until Suzy started acting aggressively towards area pets that the police deemed her a risk and decided that she had to be put down.

Suzy was cremated.

"It's a very sad day. This tiger was raised by its owner since it was a cub. Clearly, this was a tragic accident," said Field Entertainment spokesperson Stephen Payne.

The Department of Natural Resources is currently investigating the situation, and Suzy's owner, Field Entertainment is cooperating with the investigation.