A lion escaped from its cage at Dhaka’s Mirpur National Zoo on Friday afternoon, prompting immediate security measures to be tightened inside the zoo.
Zoo director Rafiqul Islam Talukder confirmed that the animal left its cage around 4:45 pm.
He said the lion is still roaming inside the zoo and teams have been deployed to monitor its movements. Stun weapons are kept ready—”the lion will be brought under control as soon as the opportunity arises,” he said.
Visitors were quickly evacuated from the zoo after the incident. Initial suspicion was that the cage door was not properly locked, as there was no sign of the grill being broken.
Zoo authorities said a committee will be formed tonight to investigate the incident. There are currently five lions at Mirpur Zoo.