A zoo in Pakistan was thrown into turmoil after a man, described as a “lunatic” by officials, was discovered dead, apparently having leapt into a tiger enclosure.
The disturbing incident led to the temporary closure of the Punjab venue following the grim revelation during standard morning clean-up operations. The horrifying discovery of the man’s body occurred at Bahawalpur’s Sherbagh Zoo, where workers were initially alerted to the calamity upon seeing a tiger parading with a shoe in its mouth.
“The zoo is closed right now as we determine how the man got in,” explained Ali Usman Bukhari, a senior officer in Punjab’s wildlife department, speaking to AFP in the aftermath of the dreadful event.
To date, the identity of the deceased remains unknown as no family members have stepped forward. In a statement to the media outside the premises, local government official Zaheer Anwar confirmed that none of the zoo employees were missing.
“Our assessment so far is that this appears to be a lunatic, because a sensible person would not jump into the den,” Anwar remarked, adding, “You can see the den is secured. There are stairs behind the den, maybe he jumped from there.”, reports the Irish Star.
It appears the savage attack took place late in the evening prior to the discovery of his body, with “evidence gathered from the enclosure points towards him being alive when he was attacked by the tigers,” said Ali Bukhari.
“The tigers did not go out of the den to attack the man, he jumped into their enclosure,” he added.
“If we find a security lapse, we will address it. If need be, we will hire private security guards.”
The trio of tigers involved were temporarily isolated in a smaller holding as investigators combed the scene, yet despite diligent efforts, the man’s identity remains unknown.
Established by the Bahawalpur Royal family in 1942, the zoo boasts an affordable entry fee of 18 cents for adults. “Lions, tigers, and hyenas are housed in … modern moated enclosures,” the zoo’s promotional material reads.
Pakistan’s zoological gardens have often been under fire for questionable animal welfare standards. A harrowing BBC report from 2000 detailed the grim find of a teenager’s remains in the lion pen of another Lahore zoo.
This unfortunate episode unfolds just after the news of a zookeeper perishing at the paws of a black bear in India. As per reports by The Times of India, a mishap at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park led to the tragedy when a staff member unknowingly didn’t secure the night house doors during cleaning.
