CHENNAI: Tension prevails at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, popularly known as Vandalur Zoo, as a young male striped hyena aged about three, jumped out of its enclosure post working hours on Monday evening.
Despite the best efforts of the zoo authorities, the animal was still free-ranging till Monday midnight within the sprawling campus of the zoo. The officials are working on baiting it back into its enclosure at least by Tuesday morning.
“The zoo is anyway closed on Tuesdays. We’re hoping that the animal will come back to it’s enclosure by morning,” an official said adding that trap cameras have been set.
Generally, stripped hyenas are primarily scavenger and pose to threat to humans unlike spotted hyenas. “This Hyena is generally very shy and harmless. We’re not alarmed right now,” he said.
When contacted, Shekhar Kumar Niraj, Zoo director in-charge, told Express that there is nothing to panic and said things are under control. “We have activated all the surveillance cameras and our men are on the job. Since, this animal is new to the zoo and male hyenas are usually more aggressive than females, there was some resistance. The animal was being acclimatised to the new environs,” he said.
As part of animal exchange programme, Vandalur zoo received two pairs of striped hyenas from Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden in Mysuru along with one pair each of jackal,golden pheasant, sarus crane, black swan and Eclectus Parrot and an Indian gaur. Vandalur zoo sent a pair of white tigers, a male Indian gaur, a male lion-tailed macaque and a pair of Nilgiri langur.
The director said except for this male hyena, all other animals got acclimatised.