Two tiger cubs maul zoo gatekeeper to death

TNN | Updated: Oct 8, 2017, 09:15 IST

HIGHLIGHTS

A gatekeeper of Bannerghatta Biological Park was mauled to death by two white tiger cubs.
The incident comes close on the heels of another case of negligence reported in the safari area last month.(Representative image)

BENGALURU: Anjaneya alias Anjini, 40, a daily wage labourer hired as a gatekeeper at the safari enclosure in the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), 30km southeast of Bengaluru, was mauled to death by two white tiger cubs on Saturday evening. Both the cubs are one-and-ahalf years old. A BBP official said Hucchegowda, a senior zoo staffer in-charge of the tigers' enclosure, took Anjaneya's help as one of his assistants was on leave. Anjini had joined work on October 1 after quitting his job as a security guard. The tigers attacked him when he entered the cage to remove food remains. Anjaneya alias Anjini, 40, a gatekeeper who was mauled to death by two white tiger cubs at the safari enclosure at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), did not realize tigers were in the cage when he walked in.

"It's a practice to feed tigers after the safaris are over around 5pm. Anja neya entered the cage to clean bones, not realizing the tigers were there. Soorya, a tiger adopted by MLA Ashok Kheny, and its cubs Vanya and Jhansi Rani were resting inside," an official said.

He added that one cub saw the stranger in the cage and jumped on him and bit his neck. The other cub joined the attack. "When Anjaneya started screaming, the tigers got enraged and took him into the safari area. He succumbed to the injuries," the official said.

Staffers rushed to the spot and informed higher officials who brought the tigers under control. Sources say parts of Anjaneya's body were eaten by tigers but there was no official confirmation. The body was later shifted to Victoria Hospital for postmortem. Bannerghatta police said a complaint was registered by the zoo authorities. Anjaneya, a resident of Hakki Pikki colony, is survived by his wife and two kids.

BBP executive director Santosh Kumar said, "The incident happened around 5.30pm. Anjaneya failed to properly operate the gates of the holding place and the safari area. This resulted in the tigers attacking him. His neck was bitten." When asked why an inexperienced worker was sent to feed tigers, Santosh said a senior staffer was around. "In fact, the tigers chased him too. But he was lucky to get to a safe place. We're conducting an inquiry," he added. As per zoo rules, only experienced staffers should be deployed for work in the enclosure.

TOP COMMENTHe was given the role of Gatekeeper, but apart from that he was asked to replace an experienced Animal Keeper and perform the job of feeding the tigers. In India, this happens everywhere, ie: to put ... Read MoreEMC3

Negligence in the past

Anjini's death comes close on the heels of another negligence case reported in the safari area last month.Negligence by staffers who manage the safari enclosures had led to a ferocious fight between Royal Bengal tigers and white tigers.