VIDEO: Man jumps into lioness’ cage at Thiruvananthapuram zoo, rescued by guards

Murugan has been reported missing for the last two days and advertisements were given out in local newspapers. It is not clear whether he suffers from a mental illness.

The man was identified as Murugan, a resident of Ottappalam in Palakkad district.

Dramatic scenes played out at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo on Wednesday morning when one of the visitors scaled the barricaded 5-foot high wall of the lioness’ enclosure and jumped inside. Even as he proceeded towards the animal, panic-stricken visitors alerted the guards who eventually diverted the animal’s attention and rescued him. He was later handed over to the police.

“The incident occurred around 11:15 am when one of the guards told me that a man had jumped inside the lioness’ cage. We immediately called the police and the fire force. When we asked him to get out, he didn’t listen and continued crawling towards the animal’s cage. We suspect his leg was injured when he jumped into the moat surrounding the lioness cage,” said Jail Superintendent Anil Kumar.

“Thankfully, the lioness didn’t attack him and our guards managed to lock her inside. We then dragged the man out. He wasn’t saying anything, so we handed him over to the police,” he added.

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The man was identified as Murugan, a resident of Ottappalam in Palakkad district. He has been reported missing for the last two days and advertisements were given out in local newspapers. It is not clear whether he suffers from a mental illness. A cell phone video shot by one of the visitors to the zoo showed Murugan crawling on the ground towards the lioness’ enclosure before he was ambushed and dragged out by the guards.

The jail superintendent said the enclosure housed three-year-old Gracy, a lioness born and bred at the zoo itself. “If it was a male lion, it would have attacked him,” he said.

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