A zookeeper in Nigeria was attacked and killed by a lion after he forgot to lock the cage while feeding the lion. According to the BBC, the victim was a 35-year-old man named Babaji Daure who worked at the Presidential Library and Wildlife Park, owned by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta. He was bitten on the neck on Saturday after agreeing to let guests into his enclosure despite arriving hours later at the wildlife park.
According to the media, “The zookeeper clearly felt safe with the animal and kept the safety gate open and continued feeding the animal. He was attacked by the animal and died on the spot.” park management said in a statement.
Separately, local police spokesperson Omolola Odutola said: “The lion seriously injured the man’s neck.” He said the lion was shot to “relax the handlers.”
“It is important to state that this activity is a complete departure from the park’s standard feeding routine,” the wildlife park stressed in a statement.
Police said the 35-year-old man was a trained lion tamer. It is not clear whether Mr. Dowle had permission to bring guests inside the closure when it was supposed to be closed. In any case, he “inadvertently neglected to lock and barricade the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the lion,” Odutola said.
“This negligence allowed the lion to escape and attack the trainer, who suffered a fatal neck injury and ultimately died. He was shot,” he added.
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According to a report in the New York Post, wildlife park management expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and reassured the public of their commitment to ensuring the safety of employees, visitors, and the animals themselves. That’s what it means.
Meanwhile, the incident comes less than a year after another zookeeper was attacked and killed by a lion at Nigeria’s Obafemi Awolowo University. Olabode Olawi is a veterinary technician who has been caring for the lions since they were born on campus about nine years ago. Sadly, in February, one of the male lions killed a man who was feeding him. His colleagues tried to save him, but by the time they could do nothing, one of the lions had already fatally injured him, the university said.