Zoo animals on the loose in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi

Heavy weather conditions took their toll on Georgian capital, Tbilisi, causing a devastating flood which killed more than 12 people so far. The inhabitants of the city also witnessed things that could only be seen in the movies like wild animals roaming the streets of the capital.

RT reports the flood hit the low-lying parts of the city after a riverbend was inundated. The reports say the flood also hit the zoo, destroying fences and walls where the animals were kept. Some animals got loose, but some were unaffected because the flood spared their cages and living spaces.

Inhabitants of the capital posted numerous pictures on social media, showing wild animals walking on the streets. Some of those animals were lions casually hanging out, a hippo swimming the flooded streets and bears. A picture of a bear was one of the most popular ones; the bear climbed up to a window, leaning over an air conditioning unit. Another picture taken from a window of an apartment building showed a giant alligator swimming on the street!

Many people shared a particular picture of a man who gestures at a hippo from only 20 feet away. Even though hippos are sometimes depicted as "cute" and "cuddly"  they are extremely aggressive and dangerous in the wild and one should use caution approaching the animal.

Later, the potentially dangerous hippo was sedated and is now being safely kept in a cage. Georgian police also killed many of the lions and tigers which brought criticism that police used unnecessary deadly force, instead of sedating the animals.

According to the reports, the zoo lost half of its animals and Georgian officials said three zoo employees lost their lives in the flood. One of them was an employe of 25 years who had her arm amputated after a tiger attack couple of days earlier, according to RT News.