Beware! Hungry lions on the prowl at Karnataka's Bannerghatta Biological park

BENGALURU: Four months after an Innova with passenegers who had signed on for a safari at the Bannerghatta Biological Park were blocked and attacked by two angry lions, a similar incident took place a few days ago, raising questions on the safety of using unprotected vehicles for a safari.

Santosh Kumar, executive director of BBP said that the video was probably taken few days ago but it only came to his notice on Monday. "The driver has been questioned for slowing down and stopping the vehicle, which gave the animals full scope to come as close as they did. He reportedly did this to please the visitors. This is a major lapse and should not have taken place. He has been taken off the safari service and put on night duty", Mr Kumar said.

In fact, the protective metal fence that keeps animals in the forest area is not erected all along the road. In some stretches, the fence is deliberately removed so as to give "a forest feeling", he said.

“A small vehicle like the Innova was allowed only after we gave it a lot of thought. But now, I am convinced that they are not safe for visitors or the animals. We are planning to send a proposal to the governing council under the zoo authority of Karnataka to withdraw such vehicles and allow only buses to ensure the safety of visitors,” he said.