Barang: The lions’ safari of at least 30 tourists inside the Nandankanan Zoological Park here turned into a nightmare after the bus carrying them got struck in the mud leaving them stranded for about 40 minutes Saturday.
In a prompt action, the zoo authorities brought back the panic-stricken tourists to safety. Following the incident, the panicked tourists cut short their visit and returned to their native places.
The lions’ safari remained closed for the day after the incident.
Sources said there are six lions in the feeding chamber of the wild animal zone. Each day, two lions are sent to the safari. Saturday a male lion named Krrish and a lioness named Supriya were sent out to entertain the visitors. Despite bad weather, the zoo witnessed a huge footfall of tourists on the day.
At 3pm the 30 tourists hailing from West Bengal hired the bus to go on the safari to see lions and tigers. After the tiger safari, the enclosed bus was a few metres into the lions’ section when it got stuck in the mud. Despite repeated attempts, the driver could not move the bus an inch.
With furious Asiatic lions prowling around the bus, panic gripped the tourists. When the bus driver contacted the zoo authorities, NZP Deputy Director Jayant Kumar Das, Assistant Director Anjan Kumar Mohanty along with skilled forest personnel made their way into the wild animal zone and took the two lions to the feeding chamber. Later, the tourists were brought back to safety out of the safari in another bus.
“We had gone to the lions’ safari with great joy. When the bus got stuck, the two lions roamed around our bus leaving us frightened. We can’t explain the 40-minute ordeal. We are still frightened. So we have cut short our visit and are returning to our native place,” said Tapan Ghosh of Mednapur in West Bengal.
“The bus driver took another route instead of the road meant for plying of vehicles inside the safari leading to the incident. The tourists were brought to safety in another bus and the lions’ safari was closed for the day. We are trying to free the bus from the mud,” said Deputy Director Das. PNN