A nine-year-old tigress captured in Wayanad a few days ago after triggering panic among villagers there kept forest officers on tenterhooks yet again after it escaped from a cage on Saturday, a day after being relocated to Neyyar for rehabilitation.
The animal was brought to the Lion Safari Park, adjacent in the Neyyar dam, on Friday from Pulpally, from where it was caught on October 25. While it was being monitored within a squeeze gate, it was found missing around 1 p.m. The tigress had apparently broken free from the enclosure after twisting the iron grills on top.
Soon, forest officers launched a search operation using drone cameras following which the tiger was spotted near the rear gate of the park around 4 p.m. However, it went missing again as a team of veterinarians, including Jacob Alexander, senior veterinary surgeon of the Thiruvananthapuram zoo, and T. Rajeev, senior veterinary surgeon, readied themselves to sedate the big cat by firing a tranquilliser dart.
The team then dropped the plan, considering the risks associated with antagonising the animal and fearing its movement towards habitations nearby during late hours.
Nevertheless, officers were confident that the tigress remained within the premises of the lion safari park and had not strayed outside its perimeter. While a loud splash heard near the Neyyar dam created panic and prompted officials to conduct a search on boats, official sources dismissed the possibility of the animal swimming across the reservoir.
J.R. Ani, Wildlife Warden, Thiruvananthapuram, said the vulnerable areas around the park had been put under surveillance. Besides installing floodlights, fencing had been strengthened using barbed wires.
