A lion in the zoological garden of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has killed one Olawuyi Olabode, a veterinary technologist.
According to Abiodun Olanrenwaju, public relations officer of the university, the deceased was attempting to feed the nine-year-old animal when he was attacked and killed on Monday.
He further mentioned that the other university employees present tried to save Olabode, who had been feeding the animal for nearly a decade, but the wild cat had injured him severely.
Olanrewaju also stated that medical and first aid efforts to resuscitate the late zookeeper failed. However, the animal has since been euthanized.
Meanwhile, Abbas Akinremi, the university’s student union president, attributed the incident to human error, stating that the zookeeper had forgotten to lock the gate after feeding the animal.
