Escaped tiger eludes capture by soldiers and deputy sheriffs

FORT POLK, La. (AP) -- A Bengal tiger on the loose in the thick brush surrounding an Army base is winning a game of hide and seek.
A team of about 40 soldiers and deputy sheriffs searched the woods on Fort Polk on Tuesday, but saw no sign of the tiger.
"So far we've seen neither hide nor hair of it," said Scott Heinrich, owner of a wild animal consultancy brought in to track the tiger.
The search was set to resume Wednesday morning.
It was unclear where the animal came from, but it's likely that it was a pet that escaped or was set free, said Leslie Whitt, director of the Alexandria Zoo, who assisted in the search. Several witnesses said the animal was wearing a collar.
Heinrich said he and others scanned the woods from a helicopter but did not see the tiger. They continued their search on the ground, he said.
Based on witnesses' descriptions, the tiger is probably about 100 pounds and 1 year old, Whitt said.
"It probably has no experience whatsoever in killing anything, catching it and eating it," Whitt said. "It's probably just freaked out and looking for a way back to where it belongs."