A zookeeper in Nigeria was mauled to death by a lion after he failed to secure the locks on its enclosure when he went to feed it. According to the BBC, the victim, identified as a 35-year-old man named Babaji Daule, worked at the Presidential Library Wildlife Park, owned by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta. He was bitten in the neck on Saturday after agreeing to take guests into the enclosure even though they arrived after hours at the wildlife park.
“The zookeeper, apparently, feeling comfortable with the animal, left the safety protection gate open and proceeded to feed the animal. He was mauled by the animal and died on the spot,” the park management said in a statement, per the outlet.
Separately, local police spokesperson Omolola Odutola said that the “lion inflicted serious fatal injuries to the man’s neck”. He said that the lion was shot dead “to release its grip on the handler”.
“It is important to state that this activity fell completely outside the standard feeding routine of the park,” the wildlife park stressed in its statement.
The police described the 35-year-old as a trained lion handler. It is not clear if Mr Daule had permission to take the guests into the closure when it was supposed to be closed. Either way, he “carelessly neglected to secure the locks and barricade the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the animal,” Mr Odutola said.
“This negligence allowed the lion to escape and attack the handler, resulting in fatal injuries to the handler’s neck and eventual death. The wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler,” he added.
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The management of the wildlife park expressed condolences to the deceased’s family, and reassured the public of its commitment to ensuring the safety of its employees, visitors, and the animals themselves, the New York Post reported.
Meanwhile, this incident comes less than a year after another zookeeper was attacked and killed by a lion at the Obafemi Awolowo University, in Nigeria. Olabode Olawuyi was a veterinary technologist who had been taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about nine years ago. Tragically, in February, one of the male lions killed the man when he was feeding them. His colleagues tried to save him but by the time they could do anything, one of the lions had already fatally wounded him, the university said in a statement.