Late last April, keepers at India's Nandankanan Zoo were astonished to find that a wild Bengal tiger had wandered out of the forest and let himself onto the grounds of their facility. The big cat, thought to be around 5 years old, appeared to be attracted to the zoo's captive female tiger, and was spotted roaming around her enclosure. He was looking for love, it appeared.

 

A twenty-person team was assembled to forcibly capture the wayward animal -- but before they moved in, zookeepers had a better idea. While the tiger was at a safe distance, they swung open the entrance to the female's enclosure, and sure enough, the amorous visitor went inside to better introduce himself.

 

Over the next few weeks, the now-captive tiger made himself at home.

 

However, amazingly, just as easily as the wild tiger broke into the zoo, he was able to break out of it -- scaling the nearly 2-story security wall, to the disbelief of his temporary captors. A video camera was there to record the escape.

 

So far, no one has been able to track down the tiger, though locals have been advised to be on alert that it may still be in the surrounding forests.

 

Bengal tigers are listed as an 'endangered', numbering less than 1,500 in the whole of India. Poaching, habitat loss, and other conflicts with humans continue to threaten the species, although there are several rehabilitation centers throughout the country to preserve them. Unfortunately, however, in many cases tigers kept captivity are later deemed unfit to be released back into the wild-- which makes this animal's brief stint behind bars, and eventual escape, a reassuring testament to the seemingly universal instinct to be free.