BAHAWALPUR: Another rare Bengal tiger died in captivity at the local zoo on Wednesday.

Dawn learnt that the 20-year-old big cat was brought here in 2010. It was claimed that the tiger fell ill sometime ago and had its one leg crippled (due to the illness). Lately, it was fed beef mince.

Muhammad Usman Bokhari, Wildlife deputy director of Bahawalpur division who holds the additional charge of the zoo curator, did not respond to Dawn’s calls. However, he was quoted as claiming that the Bengal tiger had completed its life cycle and met a natural death.

Due to curator’s non-availability, it was yet to be learnt whether the postmortem examination of the dead tiger was carried out or not.

It was the second tiger death in a few weeks. Earlier a visually-impaired beast died of kidney failure.

ENCOUNTER: Three outlaws were killed in ‘two encounters’ with Vehari police on Wednesday.

Police said Sajid of Sargana in Kabirwala tehsil, had shot dead Tahir Nadeem in the limits of Thingi police on Tuesday.

According to Vehari police spokesperson, on receipt of information of dacoits blocking a road and looting commuters, a police team besieged dacoits near Chak 32/WB and exchanged fire with them.

After the stoppage of firing, Sajid was found killed by his own accomplices firing who fled under cover of darkness. Sajid’s body was shifted to hospital and a snatched motorcycle and a pistol were also recovered.

In the second encounter within the limits of Daniwal police station, two robbers identified as Muhammad Ashraf and Saeed, residents of Chishtian in Bahawalnagar district, were killed while their three accomplices managed to escape. Their bodies were shifted to a hospital for postmortem examination.

The PRO said both the deceased were involved in over 17 criminal cases and wanted to Bahawalpur, Vehari, Lodhran and Bahawalnagar police. A car, arms and robbery tools were recovered from them.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025