The metropolis of Chennai has been held in thrall by a gripping drama of royal proportions, whose impact was felt all over the country. The protagonist of the story was Sheryaar, a five-year-old lion who committed the unspeakable crime, it appears in retrospect, of taking a long walk. “Look at his audacity!” the zoo authorities must have wondered.

True, the incident sparked a flurry of imaginative speculation worthy of a wildlife thriller. Did our hero, pining for his Bengaluru roots, stow away on a goods train or hide himself in the cargo bay of an aircraft? Was he lured by the promise of a romantic liaison with a lioness from his past?........

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