Oyo closes zoo after lion killed keeper

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan

The Oyo State Government has closed the Agodi Zoo after one of the lions in the wildlife park killed its keeper.

The government’s decision was contained in a statement by the Executive Secretary, Bureau of Investment Promotion, Mr. Yinka Fatoki.

The BIP boss expressed shock at the incident, saying the government would investigate what happened at the zoo.

He said the government took the decision following a report it received from the company managing the zoo, AM&C, that one of the lions at the zoo attacked one of the attendants, Mr. Hamzat Oyekunle, popularly known as Baba Olorunwa, who later died from injuries that he sustained from the attack.

The state government added that the lions in the zoo had been evacuated.

Fatoki said Oyekunle had attended to the lion for more than five years before it killed him.

He said, “The the incident is surprising and sad because Mr. Oyekunle had fed the lion for over five years and was known to have a very good relationship with all the animals in the zoo.”

The statement said the state government representatives had visited the family members of the late keeper to commiserate with them over the loss.