NEW DELHI: A green activist squarely blamed zoo officials for Thursday’s security lapse at National Zoological Park, a charge refuted by a former CZA official who asserted that it was the intruder’s fault to take up such a risky step.“In my opinion, it is a complete security failure of the zoo authorities. Where were the security guards who couldn’t stop the man getting inside the enclosure…they also have CCTV cameras to stop such intrusions but those didn’t work. The authorities should have increased more guards in front of such enclosures,” said Ajay Dubey green activist.
Dubey added such cases raises question over the safety of the wildlife, adding that endangered species face threat of attack from humans as well. “Not killing, but humans have a tendency of throwing stones or other materials inside enclosures. It needs to be checked.”In 2014, a similar incident had happened at Delhi’s zoo where 22-year-old Maqsood was killed by Vijay, a white tiger, after he fell inside its 18 ft deep enclosure. To save Maqsood, the people had pelted stones which, according to Dubey, irked the tiger that killed him about 15-20 minutes after he fell inside the enclosure.
On Thursday, Rehan Khan was lucky as the zoo staff saved him by tranquillising the lion, Sundaram, before it could harm him. In a video that went viral, Rehan is seen sitting facing the lion for some time. “The management’s credibility cannot be questioned. Rather their effort should be praised that within a short time, the staff came to the spot and tranquillised the lion to save the man,” countered BS Bonal, former member secretary, Central Zoo Authority. “Delhi zoo has got sufficient number of security staffs and keepers. The man was mentally unstable and if someone deliberately jumps off then that goes out of hand for management to track,” he asserted.
BRAVADO ENDED IN DISASTER
Jan 20, 2019
A man in his 30s was mauled to death by two lions, after he entered the enclosure by scaling an over-25-feet wall, at Chhatbir Zoo in Mohali, Punjab.
Sept 24, 2014
Maqsood Khan, 20, was mauled to death by a white tiger when he fell into its enclosure at Delhi zoo.
July 2012
A tiger seriously injured a 32-year-old man who ventured into its enclosure at the Tata Steel Zoological Park in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
Aug 2009
A drunk man ended with a severely mauled arm, when he tried to feed grass to a white tiger at Hyderabad’s Nehru
Zoological Park.
Dec 2007
Two tigers mauled a visitor at Guwahati Zoo who tried to take a photograph while putting his hand into their enclosure. He lost one of his arms and died later.
Dec 17, 2000
A tiger mauled a man to death in Kolkata zoo, after he jumped a fence and swam across a moat to fight the animal.
Jan 1996
A tiger killed one of the two drunk men who tried to garland it after entering the enclosure at
Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo.