Tragedy averted as tigress that escaped from cage is recaptured

Due to alertness of the zoo employees of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the five-year-old white tigress, Rani, was put in her cage within hours after she came out on Friday morning. A major tragedy was averted because the zoo is situated downtown of Aurangabad city.

The wall of the Sidharth Garden wherein the zoo is situated had collapsed last night following incessant rains for five days. The two zoo employees noticed at 5.30am that one of the four cages where tigers were kept was without Rani. They immediately informed their superiors and kept a strict watch on the animal who had hid herself in the nearby bushes.

After the zoo in-charge BS Naikwade informed the forest department, the animal was tranquilised. Rani was put in her cage again.

The cages of two other tigers were stuck behind the debris of the wall. They also brought to safely later.

Mayor Vijaya Rahatkar has given orders for reconstruction of the wall. The door to Rani’s cage opened up after the impact of the collapsed wall. Rani moved out and strayed into the bushes nearby. There could have been a dangerous situation if the tigress jumped out on to the other side of the wall as there is a large locality there.

Rahatkar said that the AMC has decided to move this zoo outside the city. A new place has been selected near Daulatabad Fort. The work of shifting the zoo would start very soon.