Chennai

The victim Vijaya, the animal keeper, is well-known for handling predators. “Around 9.30 am, while the actor’s family went to the tiger enclave, Vijaya put her hand inside the cage and tried beckoning Rithwik. Since Vijaya had taken care of Rithwik since birth, she was quite confident that the cub would respond, but she was totally unprepared when the angry sub-adult pounced and bit her hand,” a zoo official said on condition of anonymity. On hearing her cries, other zoo staff rushed to the spot, rescued Vijaya and took her to a private hospital in Rathinamangalam. “Vijaya should have not inserted her hand inside the cage since it is nigh impossible to predict a wild animal’s mood,” the official stated.

A similar incident took place in Arignar Anna Zoological Park two months ago when a staff was attacked by a leopard at the rescue centre.

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android