Hyderabad zoo authorities swung into action immediately after the tiger was sighted roaming free and evacuated the premises after closing all the gates as a safety measure
Hyderabad : A Royal Bengal tiger in Nehru Zoological Park here on Saturday was out in open for sometime giving jitters to officials. According to a Zoo official, the tiger was brought out of its cage and taken to another cage for mating. However, the animal got irritated and tried to run back to its original cage.
“As the (original) cage was closed, it (the feline) remained in the open space for some time. We have administered a tranquiliser to doze it (tiger) off. Kadamba (the tiger) was again put back in the cage,” a Zoo official told PTI. An internal inquiry was ordered on security lapses if any, he added. The official said there is a three layer security cover surrounding the cages of wild animals limiting the public access.
When contacted a police official said they received information about the tiger letting loose in the Zoo this afternoon.
The officer said no case has been registered as no untoward incident happened.
“The Royal Bengal tiger jumped off a 10 feet deep moat in the evening when it was being shifted to another enclosure, creating a scare among hundreds of visitors. Zoo authorities swung into action to evacuate the premises and closed all the gates,” said a source.
After an hour long effort, the officials tranquilised the big cat and shifted to the enclosure.
The authorities had a sigh of relief as the tiger was caught before it caused any harm.
However, the incident sent panic among weekend visitors in the sprawling zoo.
Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Satyanarayana visited the zoo.
He told reporters that no one was injured.
One of the largest zoo in India, Nehru Zoological Park is spread over 380 acres.
The zoo, which celebrated its golden jubilee in 2013, is home to some of the most exotic birds and animals in mostly open enclosures in near natural ambiance. On an average, 15 lakh people visit the zoo annually.
