What had been routine in years turned into a nightmare for an animal-keeper when he was mauled by a lion he often tended to at the Bannerghatta Biological Park on the outskirts of the city here on Monday.
Krishna (38), who had been employed with the park for over two decades, suffered severe damage to his spinal cord and injuries on his torso.
The keeper had accompanied the zoo veterinarian into the pen where the lions of the safari are fed and medicated. Around 9.30 a.m., two lions in a pen started to roar and push against the chain-link grill. While workers say the grill gave way, zoo authorities said a side door had been opened by mistake, allowing the two lions to come out into the passage where Krishna was standing.
One of the lions, Nakula (4) — weighing over 200 kg — pounced on the keeper. “We heard the screams of the doctor and when we rushed there, Krishna was on the floor with the lion biting into his abdomen,” said Vijay Kumar K., a zoo employee who was standing outside the lion cage.
More than 10 employees gathered there, and their howling and hooting drove away one of the lions. However, Nakula still had Krishna pinned to the ground with his teeth. “We threw water at the lion and kept beating him with rods. Only after around 30 minutes, did the lion let go…,” said Mr. Kumar.
