Escaped tigers cause panic at Assam zoo

Guwahati: Two adult tigers escaped on Saturday from an enclosure at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, triggering panic among nearly 10,000 visitors who were inside the zoo at that time, wildlife officials said.

A zoo spokesperson said the two big cats managed to sneak out of their iron enclosure when three animal keepers were disinfecting it by opening one of the cage doors.

"The two tigers came out of the enclosure and started walking lazily in the open leading to great amount of panic and fear," zoo warden Narayan Mahanta told IANS.

The zoo, the only one in Assam, was teeming with people with an estimated 10,000 visitors inside the premises when the two tigers sneaked out.

"We immediately evacuated the visitors and tried to locate the cats before tranquilising one of them," Mahanta said.