Gharials, Jungle Cat safely reach Bannerghatta Biological Park after truck accident in Telangana
Bengaluru: A group of animals, including eight gharials and a jungle cat, arrived safely at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Bengaluru after their transport truck overturned in Telangana. The animals were being relocated from Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Patna, as part of an animal exchange program.
The incident occurred on Thursday when the truck carrying the gharials, which are fish-eating crocodiles, and the jungle cat crashed into a power transmission pole near Mondigutta forest check-post in Telangana’s Nirmal district. The truck overturned due to the impact, causing two gharials to slip out of the vehicle. Local forest officials and the Nirmal Police quickly recaptured the gharials and reloaded them onto a backup truck.
According to BBP officers, the animals were en route to Bengaluru in two trucks. A white tiger was being transported in one vehicle, while the gharials and the jungle cat were in the second. The accident occurred when the driver of the second truck, who admitted to feeling drowsy, lost control of the vehicle. The driver had no co-driver or helper to assist him during the journey.
Despite the mishap, BBP Veterinary Officer Dr. Anand certified that all the animals were in good health following the accident. The Telangana Forest Department worked with local authorities to arrange an alternative vehicle, ensuring the animals continued their journey.
The animals, including the white tiger, reached BBP on Thursday night. AV Surya Sen, Deputy Conservator of Forests and Executive Director of BBP, confirmed that the animals were part of an exchange program, with BBP set to send zebras and thamin deer to Patna's Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park in return.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
