Lion mauled to death by other lions

Chennai, Nov 5 : An 18-year-old lion, one of the oldest inmates at the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at the Vandalur Zoo, was mauled to death by other lionns.

The Rehabilitation Centre was set up in a 100-hectare area inside the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at suburban Vandalur a decade ago to house animals rescued from circus and individuals using them for commercial purposes.

It was a separate enclosure housing more than 40 lions and eight tigers.

Sources said, on the evening of November 3, lion Kannan was attacked by two other lions, which had managed to come out of their cages, as the gates were not locked properly.

The lions entered the Rehabilitation Centre and attacked Kannan leading to its death.

This was the second such incident in the Rehabilitation Centre in the last two months after a 13-year-old lioness was mauled to death by a lion in the last week of August.

However, Zoo authorities, denied any attack and said Kannan died due to old age and natural causes.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
Unauthorised publication of any content from NewKerala.Com is prohibited