Two tigers escape from Taiping Zoo

Two tigers have escaped from their enclosure at the Taiping Zoo and Night Safari, reported The Star today.

The incident is said to have happened this morning while the gates to the zoo were still closed.

The Star reported one of the escaped tigers have been recaptured with the help of tranquilizers.

Meanwhile Zoo director, Dr Kevin Lazarus said, the Malayan Tiger escaped from its enclosure while maintenance works were being carried out by a new employee, Bernama reported.

“The incident occurred when the tiger was at the back of the enclosure, not in the area for public viewing. The tiger had hit the cage door and it suddenly opened by itself,” he said.

The tiger was then shot with a tranquilizer but escaped to a nearby forest by jumping over the 1.8 meter zoo fence, Dr Lazarus said.

It was later found and shot once again with a tranquilizer before it was captured at 3pm.

Some 30 people, including zoo staff, Fire and Rescue Department personnel and police were involved in the search efforts for the 16-year-old tiger weighing about 300 kilogrammes.