Guwahati:
In a dramatic but embarrassing incident at Guwahati's state zoo on Saturday, two captive tigers escaped from their enclosure when their attendant forgot to lock it after routine cleaning.
As Divya and her two-year-old cub she slipped out for a stroll around the zoo, it was an action-packed situation for the next hour and a half. The tigers roamed around freely, as weekend visitors panicked and ran all over the place.
However, no one was injured. The big cats were later tranquillised and are back in their cage. It was an accident, but given the huge weekend crowd, the attendant's mistake could have turned fatal.
The Assam State Zoo is considered one of the better-managed zoos in the country, but Saturday's incident has raised questions. "Unless we improve conditions significantly by providing sufficient space for animals like tigers, we should dispense with zoos altogether," says S S Rao, Assam's Conservator of Forest Wildlife.