An inebriated visitor to the Nehru Zoological Park who tried to feed a white tiger grass, ended up at Osmania General Hospital with a severely mauled arm on Wednesday evening.With the Dutch courage waning, the 'daredevil' zoo visitor, Ramesh (35), was seen writhing in pain at the hospital. The angry tiger had a full go at him, tearing out in the process, a great deal of flesh from his right arm. Doctors treating him, however, declared he was out of danger.
Zoo officials are yet to figure out how an inebriated man could enter the zoo after the visiting hours which end at 5 p.m. After the zoo is closed for public, the animals are sent to the night house and its gates locked thereafter. However, Ramesh managed to jump over the chain-link fence of the white tiger's enclosure around 6 p.m.
Carrying grass, he walked up to the big cat's night house, shoved his hand through the grill bars, perhaps to throw the grass near the tiger. "The animal lunged at him and mauled his arm down to the wrist," zoo Director K. Bhoopal Reddy said.
A terrified Ramesh, identified as a native of Mogalturu village in West Godavari district, cried for help. He tried to pull away, but the tiger wouldn't let him free. Three security personnel had to sweat it out to free him from the tiger's clasp. However, by then, his arm was profusely bleeding.
He had initially told the zoo authorities that he went to the tiger enclosure as he wanted to end his life. Minutes after the police and the media persons arrived, he changed his version maintaining that the 'mishap' occurred when he tried to feed the tiger grass.
"He is out of danger, but has lost a lot of blood. He has been operated upon." Osmania Hospital doctors said.