Hyderabad: An animal keeper sustained serious injuries on his hand when a lioness attacked him at Nehru Zoo Park in Hyderabad on Monday, July 8.
Syed Hussain, assistant animal keeper was assigned the job of cleaning the cage of the lioness at the Nehru Zoo Park in Hyderabad. “Hussain went inside the cage to clean the place. He failed to lock the door that separates the two enclosures. The lioness entered the enclosure while Hussain was cleaning and attacked him,” said an official of the forest department.
The lioness Sirisha, who has been suffering from illness had been kept in a cage away from display at Hyderabad’s popular Zoo Park for the past few months. On Monday, it noticed Hussain in its enclosure and attacked him.
Hussain saved himself and rushed out of the cage. He shouted for help and other workers of the Zoo Park rushed to his rescue.
As per (SOP) Standard Operating Procedure of Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoo Park, the main gates were closed. The security personnel and veterinary team were intimated and within 10 minutes the lioness was tranquilized near the crocodile moat and was sent back.
The authorities rushed Hussain to the Osmania General Hospital for further treatment, following which he was discharged.
An enquiry committee has been appointed by the Director, of Nehru Zoo Park, Hyderabad, for an immediate detailed enquiry. Based on the preliminary report submitted by the deputy range officer, the assistant animal keeper Syed Hussain, had displayed carelessness and irresponsibility in deploying safety measures while monitoring the wild animals.
Further, the Zoo Park committee has decided to call on experts to train the staff to act during similar incidences and also work or take action on how to reduce any such future incidents.
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