Zoo intruder mauled to death by tigers

Staff negligence blamed for tragic incident

LAHORE:

In a tragic incident at Bahawalpur Zoo on Wednesday, four tigers attacked and killed an unidentified person who had entered the zoo during the night. The trespasser fell into the tiger enclosure, where the caged animals tore him apart and consumed his remains.

At 11:30 am, zoo staff discovered a shoe in a tiger's mouth, leading them to the victim's body. Although the individual remains unidentified, reports suggest he was a drug addict.

District Administration, police, and wildlife personnel, along with rescue and forensics teams, swiftly responded to the scene. Bahawalpur District Commissioner, Zaheer Anwar, attributed the incident to poor security and initiated an investigation into the unauthorised entry.

Read Bahawalpur zoo facelift plan sought

DC Anwar confirmed the incident occurred during the night, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted on the victim's body. Negligent staff will face departmental action, he added.

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi took immediate notice of the incident, seeking a report from the Secretary Wildlife and Commissioner Bahawalpur. He mandated an investigation into staff negligence, with plans for departmental and legal action and a comprehensive security audit of zoos.

Deputy Director Wildlife sent a preliminary report to Director General Wildlife. It is not stated in the report as to how the deceased citizen entered the limits of the zoo.

This incident echoes a similar tragedy in February 2020, where an 18-year-old boy named Bilal was found dismembered inside a lion's cage at a zoo in Lahore. Bilal, reported missing, had entered the zoo to cut grass, leading to a fatal lion attack.

Punjab has experienced previous wildlife-related incidents, such as wild wolf attacks on livestock in Bhakkar's Tehsil Mankera in August of this year, causing fear among affected citizens. Authorities were notified, but the attacks persisted.