THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 10-year-old tigress who had escaped from her enclosure at Neyyar Safari Park has successfully tranquilized and trapped
The team of forest officials and veterinarians managed to locate the tigress inside the 10-acre safari park.
Search operations were on for the tigress since Saturday noon after the animal managed to flee from its enclosure by widening the grill with its teeth. The authorities were forced to call off their search operations after dark.
Once tranquilized with the help of darts, the animal is expected to run and fall unconscious in a few minutes before the medicine reacts. The search for the animal was resumed on Sunday morning. A huge posse of forest officials including a team of Rapid Action Force team and veterinarians scouted the forested areas to find the elusive tigress. The team was led by Dr Arun Zachariah, chief veterinary officer-in-charge from Wayanad.
Ever since the animal's escape, there were reports that it had jumped in the safari park reservoir or had loitered within the park itself. The scouting team, however, managed to locate the animal at the rear entrance gate of the safari park.
The forest department has launched an internal inquiry in the incident.
The tigress was brought for rehabilitation to the Neyyar Safari Park last Thursday after she killed 15 goats in human settlement areas. For over two months, the tigress had caused terror in human settlement areas of Wayanad after which she was transferred to the Safari Park's enclosure.
On Saturday, when Dr S V Shiju, the veterinarian and B Sunil, the forest officer went to inspect the tigress at 11:30 am, they found her missing.