Ontario Man Who Owned Exotic Animals Mauled To Death By 300 kg Pet Tiger

A 66-year-old man from southern Ontario, who spent years battling with neighbours to keep wild cats on his property, has been mauled to death by his 300-kilogram pet tiger.

Norman Buwalda went into the tiger’s cage on his property in Southwold, Ont. on Sunday afternoon to feed the animal, when police said the man was attacked and killed by the tiger.

“We don’t know what actually took place, because no one witnessed it, but the tiger ended up attacking him and killing him,” said Ontario Provincial Police Const. Troy Carlson.

A family member discovered the man’s body and was able to lock the tiger in a separate portion of the cage, dividing Buwalda from the pacing tiger until an ambulance arrived.

The brutal attack is not the first one to occur on Buwalda’s property, which houses a number of exotic animals.

In June 2004, a 10-year-old boy was attacked by a Siberian tiger on Buwalda’s property that was led out of its cage on a leash so the child could take its picture.

The boy suffered severe neck and head injuries, but survived the vicious attack.

But Buwalda, who was the chairman of the Canadian Exotic Animal Owner’s Association, never faced charges, because he was legally entitled to own the animals.

“Right now it occurs he’s in legal possession. I mean he’s had these animals for years,” said Carlson.

Neighbours in the rural community said they have spent nearly five years fighting to have the animals removed from the property, but all attempts failed.

Nicole Balogh was one of the many people in the neighbourhood who went to the Southwold Township and helped get a bylaw passed to ban a person from owning exotic animals.

But Buwalda fought the bylaw and won.

“We tried to get something done about the situation in general, but it was overthrown and there wasn’t a whole lot we could do about it,” said Balogh, who lives down the road and has two small children.

Buwalda hired a lawyer, Alan Patton, who challenged the bylaw in the Superior Court of Justice.

Patton said Buwalda was a good client, and a man who was passionate about the large cats.

“He loved tigers. He took beautiful pictures of the animals. The pictures looked like they could be in National Geographic,” Patton said in a interview.

But Balogh said she has always worried about the situation for years, having heard other neighbours complain of Buwalda taking the large cats out on a leash, and housing cubs in a barn.

“We were always concerned that he was just not diligent as to the dangers or being responsible for animals of that kind,” she told The Canadian Press.

“You just don’t take children in and flash pictures at animals.”

A man who answered the phone at the Buwalda household said he had no comment about the tragedy.

Police are still investigating, but said they are not sure what will happen with the animal.

“The tiger is still in the pen, and in this case it’s up to the family to figure out what they’re going to do with the animal, said Carlson.

“No law has been broken.”

A post mortem examination has been scheduled for Monday.