CHENNAI: Nearly 48 hours after a tigress went missing at the Bengal Tiger enclosure of the Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur here, zoo authorities failed to locate the elusive wildcat. The tigress, two-year-old Nethra, a cross between a white tigress and a Royal Bengal tiger, may have made its way out of the enclosure through a collapsed wall but officials maintain the animal could not have strayed afar.
Zoo authorities claimed the tigress had been spotted by men tasked with tracking it down. “There is no ambiguity. The animal has been spotted within the enclosure area. We adopted a cautious approach on Friday as we did not want to disturb it,” a zoo official said.
“There was every chance that the animal could have walked out of the enclosure. But she is a positive animal with semi-wild characteristics. It may just be that she had some sickness and refrained from coming back to the feeding area,” the official added.
Authorities, however, failed to present photographic proof of the animal being spotted despite the fact that the tracking team was equipped with cameras. Armed with rifles, the workers lit torches to lure the animal out of hiding, but failed. Forest department sources told Express that the tigress did not turn up at the feeding area on Saturday, raising serious concerns about its location.
While the wall collapse occurred early on Friday morning, zookeepers are said to have noticed the missing tiger much later, as it failed to turn up during feeding time.
Residents from the adjoining locality said they had been warned by zoo authorities.