In an amazing feat of getting-its-own-way-despite-those-pesky-humans, in India a wild bengal tiger wandered into Nandankanan zoo from a neighboring forest in search of a mate. The tiger was lurking around the tiger enclosure, so zoo staff had to try and catch it. However, it turned out all they needed to do was briefly open an emergency door of the tiger enclosure to let the tiger in. The door was quickly closed behind it.
As there are fewer than 1,500 tigers left in India, official protocol demands that endangered wild tigers be released back into the wild if at all possible. The zoo was planning to do that eventually, after they’d worked out where to place it.
During that time, the zoo reported that the tiger seemed to become quite comfortable in its new surroundings, at least for a month or so, with an easy and steady supply of food. However, the tiger apparently became tired of its very limited habitat and proceeded to easily break back out of the zoo!
Staff were amazed when they found that the tiger had been able to scale the walls, which had added angle ironed fencing installed at the 8 and 16 feet marks. Since the zoo breakout, the striped escapee has not been seen again.
Image CC licensed by Daniel P Davis: Bengal tiger in captivity, but not the one in question.
Via Treehugger, via India Express
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