PICS: Graphic Images Show Tiger Killed Near l-75 In Atlanta

HENRY COUNTY, GA -- Graphic images have emerged of a tiger that had to be shot and killed after Henry County authorities received several calls about the big cat near a ramp on Interstate 75 one morning in early September. The big cat was a circus animal that had escaped his cage after a truck carrying it pulled over near a truck stop.

Soon the animal was seen walking near the Jodeco Road exit, to the surprise of early morning commuters. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Terrified residents posted on social media about the big cat walking through their yards.

Read more: Tiger killed off I-75 as morning commute turns surreal

The People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals obtained pictures of the slain animal, a tiger named Suzy, who was being transported with 14 other big cats by Feld Entertainment, through a public records request.

"This tiger wouldn't have been gunned down in the street if Ringling's parent company hadn't tried to squeeze another dollar out of her by shipping her off to an overseas circus," PETA Foundation Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders told Patch in a statement. "These heartbreaking photos show why PETA is calling on federal authorities to stop issuing permits to animal exploiters."

On Sept. 6, Henry police officers responded quickly to calls about the cat, summoning animal control. Authorities had to take the predator down as the safety of children leaving their households for school came into question. Henry police Capt. Joey Smith said the incident escalated when the tiger attacked a dog at a private residence.

“Unfortunately, it jumped a fence and went after a dog back behind one of the residences here,” Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And the officers had to use some force to put the tiger down.”

The officers had to shoot the tiger with county-issued firearms since they were not equipped with tranquilizer guns. Brittney Speck told the TV station that it was her dog that the tiger pounced on before police neutralized the situation. She said just one of the tiger's legs equaled the size of her dog.

A Hardee's employee said when she arrived at work about 4 a.m., a man told her that he'd seen a tiger. That's when Suvannee Brownlee said she saw a large police presence approach and an officer told her to hunker down inside the eatery.

“I was shocked,” Brownlee told the newspaper.

Images via PETA