Norman Buwalda Killed by Pet Tiger in Ontario After Legal Fight

Norman Buwalda, a 66‑year‑old Dutch‑born resident of Southwold, Ontario, kept two lions, two tigers and a cougar as pets. After a 2004 tiger attack on a child, a municipal bylaw banned exotic animals, but Buwalda successfully challenged the restriction and the Supreme Court of Canada, allowing him to retain his big‑cat collection.

On 10 January 2010 he entered the enclosure of a 46‑stone tiger to feed the animal. The tiger attacked, mauling him to death. Ontario Provincial Police Constable Troy Carlson said, “The owner of some exotic animals went out to feed the tiger … the animal attacked him and killed him.” Police later removed the tiger and relocated it, and Buwalda’s collection was disbanded. Neighbor Joanne Does recalled that Buwalda “trusted animals more than he trusted people.”