A decade has passed since the shocking tragedy at Delhi Zoo, where 20-year-old Masqood lost his life after being attacked by a massive white tiger.
The incident occurred when Masqood crossed a protective barrier and accidentally slipped into the tiger’s enclosure. Despite warnings from guards about the danger, his curiosity led him closer until a fatal misstep sent him tumbling into the dry moat below.
Witnesses described the harrowing scene as Masqood pressed himself against the enclosure wall, face-to-face with the 200-kilogram tiger, known as Vijay. In a desperate attempt to survive, he waved his arms and pleaded for mercy, but after several tense minutes, the animal lunged. The tiger clamped its jaws around his neck and dragged him away, ignoring the crowd’s frantic attempts to distract it with stones.
Onlookers recalled that Masqood suffered for several minutes before succumbing to his injuries. Zoo officials later admitted they were powerless to intervene effectively, citing the absence of tranquilizers and proper communication devices. As a result, the horrifying attack played out in full view of horrified visitors, who could do nothing to save him.
Hours later, zoo staff finally managed to isolate Vijay in order to retrieve Masqood’s body. His mother, Ishrat, expressed her devastation to reporters: “He left home saying he would return at night. The next thing we heard was that he was in the hospital.”
Authorities registered the case as a death due to negligence, but the memory of that day remains one of the most haunting events in India’s zoo history.
