Lion goes off radar in Vandalur zoo, search on

A five-year-old male lion named Sheryaar, brought in from Bengaluru's Bannerghatta Biological Park in 2023, has been off the radar since October 3, when he was released into the safari zone at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur.

- S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA

Zoo authorities have launched an extensive search operation using drones, camera traps and ground teams.

The lion was released into the 50-acre safari area - a natural forest landscape with more than 90% vegetation cover on October 3. However, unlike the other lions that return to their night shelters by evening, Sheryaar did not come back that night. A special search operation was immediately launched, and the animal was briefly sighted the following day before disappearing again into the thicket.