A tiger famously made it into Prime Minister’s Questions on 16th September 2015.
Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner took the floor, and instead of housing, education, or the economy, he brought up Simi – a rescued circus tiger stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
Simi had been confined to a Belgian rescue centre for 2 years. The-then Isle of Wight Zoo was ready to welcome her, but red tape demanded a rabies waiver, despite Belgium being rabies-free and Simi being more likely to bite a bureaucrat than spread disease.
Turner, clearly fed up with DEFRA’s dithering, seized his moment at PMQs – right after Jeremy Corbyn’s debut as Labour leader – and asked Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene. He called the situation a “bureaucratic log jam”, prompting smirks, snorts, and a minor Twitter meltdown.
David Cameron – perhaps relieved to be discussing tigers instead of tax credits – responded with surprising enthusiasm. “I want to hear about the tiger!” he declared, referencing his own experience helping a rhino named Nancy settle into the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Social media exploded. BuzzFeed Politics gleefully shared Turner’s quote: “The Isle of Wight Zoo is having trouble importing a tiger”. Within minutes, #PMQs was trending for reasons no one could have predicted.
Turner later defended his choice of topic, saying,
“Although there may be more important issues, during PMQs you need to judge whether to achieve something positive or simply get a soundbite”.
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And achieve something he did—the rabies waiver was granted, and Simi arrived at the Isle of Wight Zoo in January 2016.
Sadly, Simi passed away in December 2019 due to health complications from her circus past. But her story – and Andrew Turner’s tiger-powered parliamentary moment – remains a roaring example of how even the most unexpected question can make a real difference.
