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Escaped black panther recaptured unharmed - New Straits Times

by Shahrum Sayuthi

news

 

STILL FEROCIOUS ... The black panther snarls at its captors after it was

captured alive this morning

 

May 30: The black panther which escaped from its enclosure at Johor Zoo

eight days ago has been caught unharmed after it walked into a metal trap

set up 600 metres from where it went loose.

 

Johor Wildlife and National Park Department rangers, who set the trap in the

zoo compound yesterday, found the animal in it at 8am.

 

The trap was one of seven set up over the past two days following an order

by the Sultan of Johor who wanted the panther captured alive.

 

It was believed that the panther was lured into the trap before dawn by two

chickens placed inside the cage as bait.

 

The panther, a nocturnal animal, was found sleeping inside the trap after

eating the chickens. Several minor bruises were on its body, believed to

have been inflicted after it tried to escape from the trap.

 

Johor4 Wildlife and National Park Department director Rahim Ahmad said the

panther had lost weight after going without proper food for a week.

 

" We believe the panther survived the past few days feeding on small animals

frogs and wild fowls, " he said. " We set up the trap there after its tracks

were found in the wooded area two days ago. "

 

" It is a good thing that we caught it alive. This panther is one of the most

endangered species. "

 

The panther was later moved to a special enclosure in the zoo after it was

shot with a tranqualiser.

 

The panther's escape triggered an intensive search covering a six-km radius

from the zoo. Police, State Wildlife and National Park Department,

Vetarinary Department, zoo officials and an Orang Asli tracker team had been

deployed.

 

The search team was initially given a " shoot-to-kill " instruction but was

later told to concentrate on trapping the panther after the Sultan of Johor

gave the order.

 

Meanwhile, Zoo manager Zakaria Razali said the zoo, which was closed

following the incident, will re-open tomorrow.

 

The escape of the panther has became the talk of the town here over the past

one week, evoking memories of a similar incident at the Singapore Zoo across

the Causeway 29 years ago.

 

In that incident, a panther that escaped eluded a massive hunt for almost

ten months but was finally found hiding in a covered drain and killed with

explosives after attempts to flush it out failed.

 

The gruesome details of the panther's killing had at that time sparked an

outcry from animal lovers.

 

 

Friday, May 31, 2002 The Star

 

Relief as escaped panther is captured without much trouble

 

By LAM LI

 

JOHOR BARU: Happiness and relief were written all over the faces of zoo

officials and search team members here when the missing panther was found at

8am safely inside one of the four traps set at the Istana Garden, located

next to the zoo.

 

After eight days on the run in the urban jungle, the panther appeared to be

tired and hungry.

 

Reporters and officials who turned up at 9am expecting a close look at a

ferocious wild cat were greeted with the sight of an exhausted creature,

sprawled out more like a tame tabby, napping inside a cage.

 

The seven-year-old male panther, which escaped last Thursday, was believed

to have entered the trap, which had live chicken as bait, between midnight

and 8am yesterday.

 

State Wildlife Department director Rahim Ahmad said the trap was set when

search teams identified the panther’s “roaming” route through its prints

registered on damp ground.

 

“We believe the panther had not been getting proper food during its one-week

run but survived on smaller prey such as frogs and rats.

 

“Initially we used live goats as bait but failed to lure the panther. Then

we changed to chicken, which was its daily diet in captivity and this proved

to be more effective.

 

“It is not hurt physically but we noticed that the animal is under stress

and needs a good rest,” he said when met at the zoo yesterday.

 

The search teams had set four traps within and outside of the zoo compound

since Tuesday after an initial “shoot-to-kill’’ order had to be changed when

the Johor Sultan said the animal should be captured alive.

 

Johor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Kama-rrudin Md Ali

congratulated the search teams for their success in recapturing the panther

alive before any untoward incident took place.

 

“The zoo and the Istana Garden will be reopened to the public on Friday.

 

“The public can again resume their recreational acti-vities without fear,”

he said.

 

Yesterday afternoon, the panther was relocated into a new enclosure – a big

cage with iron netting as its ceiling – and separated from its female

companion.

 

The animal seemed to have attracted a small following among regular joggers

and frequenters to the area, who keenly observed every detail in the search

and recapture effort.

 

The panther had arrived here with its female companion on May 7 as a gift

from the Malacca Zoo. It escaped barely three weeks after settling into its

new home by scaling a 6m-high concrete wall.

 

The 40kg panther, measuring over 1m in length, originated from the jungle

near Tasik Chini in Pahang, and was captured last year.

 

The recapture ended a weeklong search by police, Rela, Wildlife Department,

Veterinary Department and zoo staff.

 

 

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