THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A tigress brought for rehabilitation to the Neyyar Safari Park escaped the cage creating panic in the area. After a two-hour-long frantic search, Forest officers managed to locate the animal near the park's entrance.
The caretakers found the cage broken on Saturday afternoon.
The animal was tired and was being given care in a special cage to house sick animals. Officers said the tiger broke the grills using its teeth and managed to escape without being noticed by the caretakers.
The nine-year-old female cat, which had killed several cattle in the forest fringes of Wayanad, was brought to Neyyar, about 30 km from the capital city, on Thursday.
Initially, forest officers insisted the tigress will be found within the park since it was unlikely that she could climb the tall fencing of the park, which is situated on an isle.
The tigress had been captured from Cheeyambam at Pulpally in Wayanad recently. She had killed about fifteen cattle in Cheeyambam. She was finally trapped in the Forest Department's cage on October 25.
The Forest Department's search was aided by a drone.