An animal keeper at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad was injured by an African lioness that escaped from its enclosure, according to zoo officials. The incident occurred on a holiday for the zoo, and the lioness was tranquilized and returned to its enclosure by the veterinary team.
The injured assistant animal keeper, Syed Hussain, was taken to Osmania General Hospital for treatment and later discharged. The eight-year-old African lioness named Sirisha, who suffers from hind limb paralysis, escaped while Hussain was cleaning the night houses due to negligence in closing the doors properly.
The zoo director explained that Hussain entered another enclosure for cleaning without properly closing the door, leading to the lioness coming out and injuring him. The incident triggered a response from zoo employees who alerted higher authorities and followed Standard Operating Procedure by closing main gates and tranquilizing the lioness.
An inquiry committee has been appointed to investigate the incident, with initial findings suggesting that Hussain was careless in safety measures and monitoring the animals. The Zoo Director mentioned past incidents of animals escaping and efforts to improve monitoring and functioning to prevent similar incidents in the future. Staff training by experts has been planned to enhance safety measures.
