By IANS,
Ranchi : Three alligators that escaped from the Tata Zoological Park in Jamshedpur as floodwaters swept into their enclosure are still at large after three days, authorities said Saturday.
“We have spotted the alligators at three spots in the Subarnarekha river,” M.S. Jain, director of Tata Zoological Park in the southern Jharkhand town, told IANS. “Due to the fast flow of the river, we are finding it difficult to catch them. But we will catch them very soon.”
The zoo was submerged in 14 feet of water during Wednesday’s flash flood. Three alligators and one crocodile managed to escape as the floodwaters swept out. The crocodile was caught Thursday.
A cage with two leopards was also inundated. The leopards clung to the cage grille to save their lives.
“This is the worst situation we are facing,” Jain had said Thursday.
The torrential rain coupled with opening of gates of two dams by Orissa flooded Jamshedpur and Seraikela districts of Jharkhand. The flood rendered over 10,000 homeless and affected 150,000 people. Over 2,000 farm animals were washed away in the flood.
The water level is now receding. An alert has been sounded in the flood-affected areas apprehending an outbreak of diseases.