Escaped Lion Safely Recaptured, Probe Committee Formed

A male lion at the Mirpur National Zoo in Dhaka briefly escaped its enclosure on Friday (December 5th), causing panic among visitors, although no injuries were reported.

The lion left its cage around 5 PM. It was returned safely to its enclosure approximately two and a half hours later. Zoo authorities quickly tightened security and evacuated visitors to safer areas immediately following the incident.

A special-trained animal management team used tranquilizer darts to render the lion unconscious. They successfully returned it to the cage within an hour of effort. The lion's condition is reported as completely normal, and a veterinarian is monitoring it closely.

Zoo Director Rafiqul Islam Talukder confirmed the incident. The Department of Livestock has formed a two-member probe committee to investigate how the lion managed to escape. The committee is headed by Mo. Boyzar Rahman (Director, Administration, Department of Livestock). The second member is Md. Shariful Haque (Deputy Director, Farm). The committee is required to submit its investigation report within three days.

The authorities apologized for the alarm and assured that stricter measures will be taken for visitor safety. They confirmed that the zoo visit is now completely safe and normal, and regular activities will continue. The Mirpur Zoo currently houses five lions.