Gabi (dog)

Gabi (Serbian: Габи) was a female German Shepherd who worked as a guard dog in the Belgrade Zoo in the former state of Yugoslavia. She became famous when she defeated a jaguar that escaped from its cage on June 22, 1987.

History

In the 1980s an eight-year-old German Shepherd, Gabi, was adopted by the zoo and became an informal security guard.^[1] On the night of June 22, 1987, she was patrolling the zoo with guard Stanimir Stanić^[2] and a male German shepherd. In the darkness Stanić failed to notice a jaguar that had escaped from its cage. Gabi sensed the animal and jumped on it, while the other dog ran in fear from the large cat.^[1]

Gabi fought the jaguar throughout the zoo, which allowed critical time for Stanić to telephone the police and for them to arrive.^[1] Gabi's actions prevented the jaguar's escape from the zoo and saved Stanimir Stanić from a possible attack. The police tried unsuccessfully to recapture the jaguar, and were eventually forced to shoot it to protect the public.^[1]

Gabi was operated on at the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Belgrade and nursed back to health by the zoo's director Vuk Bojović. She eventually fully recovered and continued working as a guard dog.^[1]

Later, the zoo erected a monument to Gabi.^[1]

References