A ZOO in Pakistan has been shut down after a man was mauled to death by tigers in an attack discovered during routine cleaning, officials said Thursday (7).
The body was found on Wednesday (6) morning in Bahawalpur’s Sherbagh Zoo in the eastern province of Punjab after staff spotted one of the three tigers with a shoe in its mouth.
"The zoo is closed right now as we determine how the man got in," Ali Usman Bukhari, a senior officer of the province's wildlife department, which operates the zoo, said.
The condition of the body suggests the attack happened late Tuesday (5) night.
"The autopsy report has not been released. However evidence gathered from the enclosure points towards him being alive when he was attacked by the tigers," Bukhari said.
"The tigers did not go out of the den to attack the man, he jumped into their enclosure," he said.
"If we find a security lapse, we will address it. If need be, we will hire private security guards."
The victim has not been identified and no family member has come forward to claim the body.
Speaking to media outside the zoo after the body was discovered on Wednesday, senior local government official Zaheer Anwar said all staff had been accounted for.
"Our assessment so far is that this appears to be a lunatic, because a sensible person would not jump into the den," he said.
"You can see the den is secured. There are stairs behind the den, maybe he jumped from there."
The three tigers present in the den when the body was discovered have been restricted to a smaller space while evidence is collected.
The zoo was built in 1942 by the ruling royal family of the former princely state of Bahawalpur.
(AFP)
Pakistan zoo shut down after mystery tiger attack
The body of man was found in Bahawalpur's Sherbagh Zoo in Punjab after staff spotted one of the three tigers with a shoe in its mouth
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)