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An eight-year-old African female lion named Sirisha, suffering from hind limb paralysis, escaped from her enclosure at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad on Monday morning and attacked a caretaker before being recaptured.
According to zoo authorities, the main gates were closed per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). However, the veterinary team was on-site conducting health check-ups. They responded within 10 minutes and tranquillized Sirisha, who was found near the crocodile moat, and safely returned her to the night house within 20 minutes, zoo authorities said in a release on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 10.20 am while Syed Hussain, an assistant animal keeper, was cleaning the night houses and failed to close the doors. Sirisha had been kept in the off-display Summer House area for treatment. Zoo authorities said that the door between the enclosures had not been properly secured. While the animal keeper, Syed Hussain, was cleaning another enclosure, Sirisha escaped from her night enclosure and injured him with her paws. Hussain quickly ran out of the area, alerting the other employees. The supporting staff immediately reported the incident to the higher authorities. Hussain was immediately taken to Osmania General Hospital for treatment and was discharged after receiving care. The Director of Zoo Park has appointed an enquiry committee for a detailed investigation. Based on the preliminary report submitted by the Deputy Range Officer, it was found that Syed Hussain had shown carelessness in safety measures and was irresponsible in monitoring the wild animals while closing the gates. The Committee has decided to call on experts to train the staff on how to respond to similar incidents in the future. They will work on implementing measures to prevent such occurrences. Previously, similar incidents have been reported wherein a few animals escaped from their respective enclosures. The management is working on improving monitoring and functioning to reduce such incidences, zoo authorities added. (ANI)
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