Man critical after being attacked by lion at Alipore Zoo
A man was seriously injured after being attacked by a lion when he entered the animal's enclosure at the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata on Friday, an official said. The incident happened Friday morning at around 11:30 am when the man after entering the zoo somehow managed to climb the boundary wall before jumping over the two netted boundaries to get inside the enclosure.
Man is undergoing treatment, is in a critical condition
"The Lion, which was out of its cage, attacked the man. He has been very badly injured," an official said. "The unidentified man is undergoing treatment at the hospital and his condition is critical," hospital sources said.
Reportedly, the man is mentally unstable
Alerted by the other visitors, security guards rescued the man from the lion's mouth and sent him to the hospital after informing local police, the official added. "We are checking the CCTV footage to get a clear picture of the incident. We are trying to find out his identity," a policeman said. The zoo authorities have claimed that the man is mentally unstable.
Incident has raised questions about security arrangements at the zoo
The incident has raised serious questions about the security arrangements in the zoo. A few days ago, three foreign birds were stolen from a birdcage in front of the lion's enclosure at the same zoo.
Other recent incidents across different zoos in the country
This is not the first incident where animal attacks have taken place due to security lapses in zoos. Last year in March, a 35-year old man died after being attacked by a tigress in Ranchi. In January 2019, a 30-year old man was attacked and killed by two lions at the Chhatbir Zoo in Mohali after he scaled an over-25-feet high wall.
