A tragic event unfolded on February 15 at the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati, India, when a 38-year-old man from Alwar, Rajasthan, lost his life after leaping into a lion’s enclosure.
The man, Prahlad Gujjar, reportedly driven by the aspiration to capture a selfie with the lion, ignored several security measures designed to maintain a safe distance between visitors and the lions. His ill-fated decision led him to climb a water tank, ascend a four-foot wall, and jump into the enclosure of a 12-year-old male lion around 2:30 pm. The lion, known as Dongalpur, attacked Gujjar, dragging him to a corner of the enclosure where he was fatally mauled.
Despite the attempts of a zoo watcher to discourage Gujjar from jumping into the enclosure, the warnings went unheeded. Reports suggest that Gujjar appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Mallika Garg, Tirupati’s Superintendent of Police, stated that the zoo’s rapid response team was unable to stop the attack. Gujjar was declared dead at the site of the incident.
After the incident, zoo staff managed to lure the lions back into their feeding cages, allowing for Gujjar’s body to be recovered. Identification was confirmed through an Aadhaar card with a unique ID code found on Gujjar, along with a bus ticket from Hyderabad to Tirupati dated February 13, indicating that he may have specifically traveled to Tirupati to visit the zoo.
Investigations into Gujjar’s past revealed he was a professional driver. Attempts to inform his family of the tragic incident were initiated using contact information from his Aadhaar card. A friend of Gujjar was unable to provide any insight into why Gujjar was in Tirupati.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, covering an area of 1,200 acres and recognized as one of Asia’s largest zoos, was temporarily shut down. This closure will allow for a thorough evaluation of the zoo’s safety precautions to prevent future security breaches.