Searching for Panjo 'a nightmare'

Published Jul 28, 2010

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Angelique Serrao

Owner of the missing tiger Panjo Goosey Fernandes has described the search for his "kid" as a nightmare. He hasn't had any sleep and the only "food" he has managed to swallow is cups of coffee.

"You wouldn't like to know what it's been like," he said on Wednesday morning - 48 hours after he escaped from back of his bakkie.

He was up until midnight with trackers planning the way forward before heading out again in the morning to find his beloved pet.

"It's been crazy. One man even fell off the back of a bakkie and broke his arm," said Fernandes. "So, it's been a bit much. I've had 3 000 calls on my phone."

In the last few hours he has felt a bit of hope saying there are two credible leads they have received saying that Panjo has been spotted in Middleburg. Fernandes is racing towards the area to get there before the tiger wanders off.

The animal fan says that while he has been very stressed out he has also been amazed at how people have come forward to help with the search.

"I can't believe what this country has done for me. The amount of people that have come forward to help has been something else," he said."

Choppers have been brought in and two way radios have ben donated to us. Even the Pick n Pay in Delmas has donated food for the search party.

Fernandes said he is very attached to his big cat who he has reared from two weeks old.

"His mother wanted to kill him because he had mange, so we took him and gave him to one of our Jack Russels who had puppies. He fed off her. It was something else."

He said he has spent R300 000 building a special cage for Panjo and built a pool because the big cat loves water.

- This breaking news flash was supplied exclusively to iol.co.za by the news desk at our sister title,

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