Man's body found with mutilated legs at zoo after staff discovers big cat 'holding shoe in its mouth'
PUNJAB, PAKISTAN: In a recent development, zoo authorities of a Pakistani zoo reported the discovery of a deceased man within a big cat den at a zoo on Wednesday, December 6.
The incident occurred during routine cleaning, as revealed by officials according to CBS News.
The unfortunate event transpired at Sherbagh Zoo in Bahawalpur, located in the eastern province of Punjab, Pakistan.
Staff made the unsettling discovery when they noticed a shoe inside the mouth of one of the big cats.
A man was found dead inside a big cat enclosure at a Pakistan zoo on Wednesday by staff carrying out routine cleaning, officials said. https://t.co/rSIhRm7AAy
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 7, 2023
Zoo officials say 'a sensible person would not jump into the den'
As reported by CBS News, Zaheer Anwar, a senior government official in Bahawalpur, shared with the media, "When they cleaned the zoo and the dens, they found the (animal) holding a shoe in its mouth. The staff got suspicious and then they found a body inside the den."
The official, according to CBS, used a term in Pakistan that can refer to either a tiger or a leopard when describing the big cat, both of which are believed to be present in the zoo.
Anwar, as per CBS, went on to express, "Our assessment so far is that this appears to be a lunatic because a sensible person would not jump into the den. You can see that the den is secured.
There are stairs behind the den, maybe he jumped from there." CBS News reported Anwar confirming the well-being of the zoo staff.
Zafarullah, an official from the rescue service 1122 in Bahawalpur, shared with AFP, according to CBS News, that the victim's legs showed severe mauling. He stated, "It is yet not known who he is and how he got there. It is being investigated. The body looked several hours old."
CBS News reported that Zafarullah mentioned that forensic experts are examining the body. The zoo, managed by Punjab's Wildlife Department, charges 18 cents for adult entry, housing lions, tigers, and hyenas in modern moated enclosures, as mentioned on its website.
The department has yet to provide a statement on this tragic incident.
