Chennai: The tiger that was feared missing from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur on Friday was caught on CCTV footage, prowling within the five-hectare habitat of the zoo.
According to forest minister M.S.M Anandan, who inspected the tiger enclosure on Monday, the wall had collapsed due to wear and tear, having been in existence for more than three decades. Temporary fencing, 15 feet in height, has been put in place instead.
“The public need not panic as the animals have not come out of their habitat, and the one tiger that is out of the cage will soon return,” he said. Quashing rumours that people were afraid to visit the zoo after the incident, he pointed out that a footfall of 15,400 had been recorded in the zoo last weekend and that its safety was intact.
He also said that a research team would test the durability of other enclosures. “A team of doctors is also ready with tranquillisers to capture the tiger and return it to its habitat within the moat,” he added.
Forest officials, including Vinod Kumar, chief conservator of forests; K. Geethanjali, chief wildlife warden and K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, director of the zoo, were also present during the inspection.
On Friday, a wall measuring 98 feet in length and 22 feet in height, outside the tigers’ moat collapsed due to heavy rains.
The zoo keepers made attempts to usher all the five tigers in the enclosure into their cages to ensure safety, but could bring back only four of them. They were not able to locate the whereabouts of the fifth one immediately.
Using methods like keeping meat outside the moat, fixing CCTV cameras in the area and being on the lookout for the animal bore fruit the next day when they could confirm the presence of the tiger.
