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1995: When Lions and Tigers Escaped In Southern Idaho
This could easily be the craziest Southern Idaho story I’ve ever heard. And that is saying something because we have had insane things happen here in recent decades.
Flashback: When Dozens Of Big Cats Escaped Ligertown In Southern Idaho
I ran across this story as part of a photo gallery of Idaho animal stories. It was presented in the gallery with just a short paragraph as if I was supposed to have already known about the incident. I did not and I’m floored that it hasn’t been made into a Netflix special. The story is arguably better than anything we got out of the Tiger King series.
Check out this crazy video of the Ligertown event:
The event happened back in 1995 when the resident big cats at Ligertown Game Farm near Lava Hot Springs escaped their cages and ran free through the town. The animals included lions, tigers, ligers, and hybrid wolves.
More Than A Dozen Big Cats Were Killed After Escaping Ligertown In Southern Idaho
In the hours following the escape, more than a dozen lions were killed by authorities. Some reports say the number killed was 15 and others say 18. The rest of the animals were captured and transported to another location. The Deseret News article from a few days after the incident states that 27 big cats were saved and transported to the Wildlife Waystation in California. Among the big cats, there were also 5 lion cubs.
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Other than those initial stories in 1995, there hasn’t been much follow-up on the animals or the Ligertown compound. I’d definitely watch a Netflix special on the events and circumstances that lead up to the great escape and what happened to the big cats after.
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