An Indian man was arrested by police on Tuesday for illegally entering a jaguar's night enclosure and harassing the animal at Nehru Zoological Park in the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
Twenty-six-year-old Areeb Taha Mehdi, who visited the zoo on Saturday with his friends, went inside the night house of jaguar after paying a bribe to an animal keeper, The New Indian Express reported. Going inside of jaguar's night enclosure is prohibited for the visitors.
"After bribing the animal keeper, Areeb went to the night house, a restricted area, and pulled the legs of the animal," Hyderabad police official V. Satyanarayana told The Hindu newspaper. The animal caretaker was later suspended for dereliction of duty.
"This person illegally trespassed into that caged jaguar area and teased that jaguar by doing nonsensical activities, by catching hold of his tail, ear and forelegs," Satyanarayana said.
Mehdi's friends photographed and recorded the entire mischief while he harassed the jaguar. He later posted the pictures and a video on his Facebook account.
"He shot video and pictures of the jaguar and uploaded them on his Facebook wall," Satyanarayana said.
"Subsequently after this, he posted on his Facebook account saying that it was mind-blowing experience, and anybody who wanted the same experience can contact him," he added, according to Asia News International.
Posting pictures and video on social networking led to Mehdi's arrest as police were able to track him through his Facebook account.
Mehdi, a share broker by profession, confessed that he was obsessed with wild animals and a huge fan of the Discovery channel, the Hindustan Times reported. He also said it was his life's dream to touch a jaguar.
Hyderabad police have lodged a case of trespass against him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and another case of harassing a animal at the zoo under the Wildlife Protection Act, the Press Trust of India reported.
