In life – sometimes there would be options ~ here are 3 different occurrences – all could have gone the same way !!!
A couple of years ago, in a grisly incident, witnessed by scores and captured live on many cameras, a 200-kg tiger mauled and killed a youth after he fell into the animal's moat in the Delhi Zoo…… that gory incident went viral on social media, also raising the Q on why people who were keen on filming the incident did not respond in any manner trying to help the victim. The man in his 20s reportedly had either fallen off or had jumped into the moat which separated the tiger’s enclosure from the visitor’s gallery. The victim reportedly had history of mental illness – and it was described that authorities were in a state of helplessness.
lions at Vandalur zoo
Miles
away, in Chile, a man reportedly stripped naked, jumped in to lion enclosure,
in a bid to feed himself to the big cat – a suicide attempt of a different
order. The man, who has been named by local media as Franco Luis Ferrada Roman,
was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and was said to be in grave
condition. The man survived but in the
process, two animals, which did nothing wrong were killed.
Authorities
in Santiago confirmed that the two African lions were put down as they severely
mauled the 20-year-old man who had broken into their cage early on Saturday. Zoo
keepers killed two lions to save the man, who was gravely injured in the
incident. A suicide note was reported to have been found in his clothing. It is reported that the young man broke into the enclosure, took off
his clothes and jumped into the middle, horrifying other visitors who witnessed
the attack.
Once
inside, the lions reportedly immediately pounced on him and began to 'play'
with him. At this point, zookeepers intervened in the attack and shot the two
lions in order to save his life. The director of the zoo, Alejandra Montalva,
said: 'We believe that this person entered as a visitor and paid for his
ticket. She told local media the park was crowded with visitors at the time of
the incident. The zoo director said she was 'deeply affected' by the deaths of
the two lions, a male and a female. 'The zoo has an established protocol
because people's lives are very important to us,' said the director. She added
that there were no fast-acting tranquilizers available to stop the lions from
mauling the man.
The
attack occurred in full view of visitors, who could only watch in horror as the
man was mauled and the lions - one male, one female - were killed. One witness,
told Chilean radio station Bio Bio that the security personnel at the zoo were
slow to react and that the animals did not attack the man as soon as he entered
the enclosure. She also said the man was 'shouting things about Jesus'. Sadly, it was the animals which paid with their lives for the insane
act of the man.
Back
home, it was the same African lion enclosure, slightly different incident, with
a much different result. This time it was a drunken man’s misadventure into the
enclosure of lions, in Hyderabad, seemingly to shake hands with a lioness.
At Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, the alertness of the zoo animal keepers, prevented the loss of life. Indian Express reports that it was around 4.55 pm when 35-year-old Mukesh Kumar jumped into the moat, ignoring the warnings of onlookers, calling the lioness 'darling'. As he splashed into the water, the lioness Radhika moved towards him. Soon her partner, lion Krishna too started approaching the intruder. Mukesh, however, was not the one to fear. In a fully inebriated state, Mukesh extended his hand towards the wild animals. As the onlookers screamed in panic and started throwing whatever they could at the lions to ward them away from Mukesh, the animal keepers rushed to the spot. Animal keeper R Papaiah called Radhika, the lioness, to move aside even as Mukesh kept extending his arm to her.
real incident at Hyderabad zoo : photo credit : Indian Express
To the luck of Mukesh Kumar, native of Rajasthan, Papaiah, who has been taking care of the two wild cats for the last seven years, also intervened calling the two to step back. The animal keepers managed to divert the attention of the wildcats, while Mukesh, after much pleading, was rescued from the jaws of death without a scratch and then handed over to the police. Mukesh Kumar, hailing from Kurdiya in Sikar district is a labourer working with metro rail project. Kumar reached the zoo along with five of his co-workers after gulping down a few pegs in the afternoon. Zoo curator Shivani Dogra, who took charge only a day before, appealed to the visitors to follow rules to ensure their safety.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
23rd May 2016.
