A jaguar used in an Olympic torch relay ceremony was shot to death by the Brazilian army after it escaped from its leash and approached a soldier, military officials said.
Juma, a 17-year-old female jaguar, was on display Monday as part of ceremonies at the Jungle Warfare Instruction Center in Manaus, in advance of the Aug. 5 opening ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro.
Somehow, the big-cat escaped its enclosure, army officials said Tuesday.
“Efforts were made to capture the animal by firing tranquilizers. But even though the animal was hit, it still advanced towards a soldier that was stationed nearby,” the army said in a statement.
“As a safety procedure and aiming to protect the soldier and the handlers, a pistol was used to shoot the animal. She died at the scene.”
The local Olympic organizing committee said in a statement that it was wrong “to allow the Olympic Torch, a symbol of peace and unity among peoples, to be displayed next to a chained wild animal. This image goes against our beliefs and our values.”
The committee added, “We guarantee that there will be no more such incidents at Rio 2016.”
The news of Juma’s death quickly sparked global outrage from animal rights groups.
PETA called the death of the animal “needless” and compared it to the fatal shooting of the Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo last month.
“Wild animals held captive and forced to do things that are frightening, sometimes painful, and always unnatural are ticking time bombs—captivity puts animal and human lives at risk,” PETA said in a statement.
The use of Juma at the Olympic event was also illegal, according to Ipaam, the Amazonas state government environmental authority that oversees the use of wild animals.
“No request was made to authorize the participation of the jaguar ‘Juma’ in the event of the Olympic torch,” Ipaam, which is investigating the jaguar’s death, said in a statement.
With Post Wire Services