Lioness jumps fence, causes flutter

Chennai, Feb 5 (UNI) A four-year-old lioness at the Lions Safari at Arignar Anna Zoological Garden (Zoo) at Vandalur created a flutter when it ran out of its shelter after scaling the iron fence and came into the open last evening.

Zoo sources told UNI today the lioness was among five of its pride kept in the safari when it gave the slip to the attenders.

It was kept inside a thatched roof shelter erected to protect the animals from the hot sun. All of a sudden, the animal scaled the iron fence and jumped on top of the thatched roof.

At around 1600 hrs, it jumped into the open place causing anxious moments to the zoo authorities.

The authorities, however, heaved a sigh of relief as there were no visitors around. Normally Sundays draw large number of visitors to the zoo but fortunately none was there in the vicinity at the time of the incident.

On seeing the animal in the open, staff members informed the zoo authorities after which a special team rushed to the spot and secured the animal by tranquilising it after nearly a four-hour long ''fight''. The zoo authorities heaved a sigh of relief only after the lioness was caught and put back into its enclosure.

UNI