Tigers escape in Guwahati Zoo in Assam, massive tragedy averted

[Guest guest]

Like Howletts Zoo in England, the zoo management authorities in Guwahati

Zoo appear particularly keen on close interaction between humans and tigers.

Damian Aspinall has now stopped tiger keeper interaction but Guwahati Zoo is

still carrying the flag. Pretty neat, eh?

 

10,000 zoo visitors flee after tiger escape

 

 

 

*Agencies/Guwahati*

 

 

 

 

 

*One of the two adult tigers, with a tranquilliser dart on its body,

walks inside the Guwahati zoo yesterday*

Around 10,000 frightened visitors were evacuated from a zoo in the

northeastern state of Assam yesterday when two Bengal tigers slinked out of

their cage to mingle with the crowd, officials said.

 

The tigers opened the door to the iron enclosures and sneaked out while

keepers disinfected the cage at the zoo in Guwahati, the main city in Assam.

 

 

“Fortunately the two cats remained inside the zoo complex and did not try to

venture out in the streets,” zoo warden Narayan Mahanta said.

 

“We immediately evacuated the visitors and tried to locate the cats before

tranquilising one of them relaxing by the side of a pool inside the zoo,” he

added.

 

The second tiger was tranquillised shortly after.

 

None of the estimated 10,000 visitors was injured but many ran for their

lives upon seeing the tigers stealthily walk by.

 

“We were terrified to see the two big tigers majestically walking past and

simply ran for life,” said a college student.

 

“I saw the tigers from a distance of about 20ft.”

 

The zoo authorities have ordered an investigation to find out how the tigers

managed to get out of the enclosure.

 

The zoo, the largest in India’s northeast, was packed with families and

students on a weekend break.

 

In 2007, a 50-year-old man was mauled to death by a tiger in the same zoo

when he scaled a barricade to take photographs of the cats.

 

 

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2 & item_no=340110 & version\

=1 & template_id=40 & parent_id=22

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Shubho,

 

the number of people present at the Zoo should be around 1000 if you were to

believe me.

 

Also the Tigers were one Divya, an eight year old mother and her two year

old cub. Not two adult tigers as reported by the agencies.

 

You picked up up a wrong link from some gulf country when there were many

credible media/ press newspapers and channels who got the facts right.

 

I was there present and here is a news report which we have filed for NDTV

(watch the video also).

 

http://www.ndtv.com/news/cities/tigers_let_loose_in_guwahati_zoo.php

 

 

 

On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 10:47 AM, <

journalistandanimals wrote:

 

> Like Howletts Zoo in England, the zoo management authorities in Guwahati

> Zoo appear particularly keen on close interaction between humans and

> tigers.

> Damian Aspinall has now stopped tiger keeper interaction but Guwahati Zoo

> is

> still carrying the flag. Pretty neat, eh?

>

> 10,000 zoo visitors flee after tiger escape

>

>

>

> *Agencies/Guwahati*

>

>

>

>

>

> *One of the two adult tigers, with a tranquilliser dart on its body,

> walks inside the Guwahati zoo yesterday*

> Around 10,000 frightened visitors were evacuated from a zoo in the

> northeastern state of Assam yesterday when two Bengal tigers slinked out of

> their cage to mingle with the crowd, officials said.

>

> The tigers opened the door to the iron enclosures and sneaked out while

> keepers disinfected the cage at the zoo in Guwahati, the main city in

> Assam.

>

>

> “Fortunately the two cats remained inside the zoo complex and did not try

> to

> venture out in the streets,” zoo warden Narayan Mahanta said.

>

> “We immediately evacuated the visitors and tried to locate the cats before

> tranquilising one of them relaxing by the side of a pool inside the zoo,”

> he

> added.

>

> The second tiger was tranquillised shortly after.

>

> None of the estimated 10,000 visitors was injured but many ran for their

> lives upon seeing the tigers stealthily walk by.

>

> “We were terrified to see the two big tigers majestically walking past and

> simply ran for life,” said a college student.

>

> “I saw the tigers from a distance of about 20ft.”

>

> The zoo authorities have ordered an investigation to find out how the

> tigers

> managed to get out of the enclosure.

>

> The zoo, the largest in India’s northeast, was packed with families and

> students on a weekend break.

>

> In 2007, a 50-year-old man was mauled to death by a tiger in the same zoo

> when he scaled a barricade to take photographs of the cats.

>

>

>

>

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2 & item_no=340110 & version\

=1 & template_id=40 & parent_id=22