Residents around Walkerville south of Johannesburg are urged to be on alert after a tiger escaped from a plot on Saturday.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello says it is reported that the tiger escaped from its cage and attacked a 39-year-old man and a dog in that area.

Speaking to the eNCA in an interview, Gresham Mandy – a member of a local Community Policing Forum – says the female tiger escaped from its cage at a smallholding where it was being kept with a male.

It is suspected that the fence had been cut.

Mandy says Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark SPCA and several authorities were yesterday on the ground searching for the privately owned tiger.

This morning, Mandy told Newzroom Afrika that the search is still continuing as there are still no signs of the tiger.

“We have a police helicopter and a few teams on the ground. We still have no leads where the tiger could be,” adds Mandy.

The police warn members of the public not to approach the animal as it is aggressive and will attack without provocation. “Instead contact the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.”