Hyderabad: Lioness attacks caretaker at Nehru Zoological Park

The incident occurred when Syed Hussain, who escaped with minor injuries, went to clean the animal house

Hyderabad: An African Lioness attacked an animal keeper at the Nehru Zoological Park and escaped from its enclosure on Monday.

According to the officials, the incident happened at the zoo on Monday morning, when the animal keeper Syed Hussain, was cleaning the enclosure of the lioness Sirisha, aged about 8 years.

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The animal was kept under treatment at the summer house area (off display area) as it is suffering from hind limbs paralysis.

Syed Hussain was cleaning the night houses and did not properly close the door situated between the enclosures. He went into another enclosure for cleaning purpose.

“The animal, meanwhile, came out of its night enclosure and injured Hussain with paws,” said Sunil S Hiremath, Director (FAC) & Curator, Nehru Zoological Park.

The animal then came out from its enclosure and ran towards the crocodile moat.

On being alerted, the zoo authorities closed the main gates and alerted the veterinary team about the escape of the lioness. The security teams and veterinary staff rushed to the place.

“The veterinary team responded within 10 minutes and tranquilized the lioness which was near crocodile moat and shifted it back to the night house within 20 minutes,” said the officials.

The Director of Nehru Zoological Park had appointed a committee to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident.

The enquiry pointed out to the negligence of Syed Hussain.

“The animal keeper, has shown carelessness in following the safety protocols and failed to monitor the wild animal while closing the gates. Further, the committee suggested seeking expert training for the staff for dealing with such incidences to prevent re-occurrence,” said the curator.

Earlier, also similar incidences were reported wherein a few animals had escaped from their enclosures and management is working on improving the proper monitoring and functioning to reduce any such incidences, the official added.