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Tag: Lion

  • OAU to immortalise staff killed by lion

    OAU to immortalise staff killed by lion

    The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has promised to immortalise Mr Olabode Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist who was killed by a lion in the university zoo.

    The Registrar of the University, Mr Adetunji Bakare, stated this on Wednesday at a one-day workshop to mark the first anniversary of Olawuyi’s death, held at Pit Theatre, Department of Dramatic Arts, OAU.

    The workshop, organised by the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) was titled “Workplace Safety Awareness”.

    NAN reports that Olawuyi died on Feb. 19, 2024, while attempting to rescue a junior colleague who was attacked by the lion during feeding.

    The registrar stated that people were not gathering to celebrates Olawuyi’s death, “but his heroism.”

    Bakare assured that the university authorities would immortalise the memory of late Olawuyi.

    The registrar saluted Olawuyi’s courage for standing in gap of death of other.

    He assured said that measures have been put in place to prioritise workplace safety for staff and create conducive environment for the staff of the institution.

    Speaking at the event, NAAT National President, Mr Ibeji Nwokoma, said Olawuyi was a martyr who died saving another life.

    Nwokoma, who was represented by the immediate past National Treasurer, Dr Rachel Hassan-Olajokun, urged the university management to rename the zoo in Olawuyi’s honour.

    Similarly, Mr Reuben Temerigha, the Managing Director, Western Diamond Energy Limited(WEDEL), charged every organisation to provide a safe and healthy environment for their staff.

    Represented by Mr Harry Ipalibo, the Manager, Health Safety Security and Environment, WEDEL, Temerigha maintained that workplace injuries and hazard remain a pressing challenge.

    He added that the deceased’s bravery and selflessness served as a stark reminder of the risks many workers face on a daily basis, calling for prioritising safety and implementing measures that would prevent such incident in the future.

    Temerigha identified lack of awareness and training, non-compliance with safety regulations, hazardous work environments, fatigue and human error, and poor safety culture among others as the challenges to workplace safety.

    He suggested comprehensive training programmes, strict enforcement of safety technology, encouraging a culture of safety, regular safety audits and risk assessments, employee well-being programmes as the way out to safeguard the workers.

    Speaking, the Chairman, NAAT-OAU, Mr Matthew Oluwaniyi, said that the programme was to honour the deceased whose demise serves as a solemn reminder of the risks many workers face daily.

    Oluwaniyi emphasised that the late Zoologist left a legacy that demands actions, not just remembrance, calling for Olawuyi’s immortalisation by naming the OAU Zoological Garden after him.

  • SAD! Lion k!lls zookeeper at Obasanjo’s wildlife park

    SAD! Lion k!lls zookeeper at Obasanjo’s wildlife park

    A zookeeper with the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Wildlife Park has been killed by a lion in the park.

    In a statement on Sunday, the management of OOPL Wildlife Park said the incident happened on Saturday evening.

    The statement read: “The zookeeper, at the heeding of some guests who came after the closing time of the park, agreed to take the guests to demonstrate the feeding routine of the lion in its inner enclosure. 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.

    “To prevent further mutilation of the body, the animal was put down immediately by personnel of the park. It is important to state that this activity fell completely out of the standard feeding routine of the park.

    “Investigations have begun, and the matter has since been reported to the police for their investigation.

    “The park commisserates with the family of the deceased.

    “We wish to assure the public that the park is committed to the highest standard of safety and protection both for visiting members of the public, wildlife staff and for the Wildlife itself”.

  • BREAKING: Lion attacks, kills zookeeper at OAU

    BREAKING: Lion attacks, kills zookeeper at OAU

    Mr Olawuyi Olarewaju, a veterinary technologist with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun,  has been killed by a Lion.

    It was learnt that Olarewaju, who had been in charge of the OAU Zoological Garden for over a decade, was attacked by a nine -year-old male lion on Monday.

    He was said to have been attacked while feeding the  lion at the zoological garden of the university.

    Confirming the incident, Mr Biodun Olarewaju, the OAU Public Relations Officer, said the management of the university had been thrown into mourning following the incident.

    Olarewaju, in a statement in Ile-Ife, said that  other members of staff of the university, who were at the scene of the incident did everything within their powers to rescue the deceased  but the wild cat had already caused severe fatalities.

    He said that saddened by the tragic event, the aggressive lion had been euthanized.

    “On hearing the sad news, the management team, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, abruptly ended an on-going meeting for an on-the-spot assessment.

    “The vice chancellor was informed  on arrival by the Acting Director of the University Health and Medical Centre, Dr Tirimisiyu Olatunji, that all first aid and medical efforts to save the life of the victim failed.

    “The deceased has been taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about nine  years ago but tragically, the male lion killed the man who had been feeding them.

    “The university management has sent a delegation to the widow and children of the deceased, imploring them to take solace in God who gives life and also has the power to take life,” he said.

    Olarewaju said that the management had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident.

  • Escaped lion strolling streets in neighbourhood, triggers panic

    Escaped lion strolling streets in neighbourhood, triggers panic

    A lion ran loose in a major Pakistani city for the second time this year, officials said on Wednesday, shedding light on the craze for exotic pets.

    For hours on Tuesday, the 20-month-old male lion strolled the streets in a congested neighbourhood of Karachi, police official Sheraz Nazir said.

    Children screamed and adults fled in fear, said Mukhtiar Soomro, a wildlife officer who was part of the team that captured the animal.

    “It took our team at least two hours to confine the lion to a parking lot and then capture it in a cage,” Soomro told dpa from Karachi.

    “It was a first-of-its-kind incident in Karachi.

    “Planning and executing an operation to capture such a huge and dangerous animal was a frightening experience,” the official added.

    No one was mauled.

    A video shared on the social media showed a man shouting to others to run as the animal slowly walked along the pavement.

    The lion was handed over to the city’s zoo and a criminal charge was being filed against the owner for keeping a wild animal in a residential area.

    This was according to another wildlife official Mumtaz Ali.

    “The owner can face a fine of up to 300,000 Pakistani rupees (around 1,000 dollars) and imprisonment up to three years,” he added.

    Pakistan’s wildlife laws allowed private citizens to establish mini zoos, but keeping a lion or tiger as a pet in a residential area is a crime.

    But these laws are often ignored.

    In February, a leopard ran loose from a neighbourhood near Islamabad and it took wildlife rangers several hours to capture it.

  • Zoo put into lockdown after five lions escape

    Zoo put into lockdown after five lions escape

    An Australian zoo has been placed on lockdown on Wednesday after five lions escaped from their enclosure.

    Sydney’s Taronga Zoo said five lions, one adult, and four cubs were found in a small area beside their exhibit, with a 1.8-metre tall fence separating them from the rest of the zoo.

    “The zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident and immediate action was taken.

    “We regularly conduct drills to ensure we are prepared,’’ the zoo said in a statement.

    “All persons on site were moved to safe zones.

    “Four of the lions calmly returned to their dens, and one cub was safely tranquilised, but now awake and well.’’

    A full review was underway to confirm how the animals were able to leave their enclosure, Taronga Zoo said.

    “All Zoo staff acted swiftly, and procedures and processes were followed as they should have been.

    “As a result, the situation is under control within minutes.’’

  • TRAGIC! Lions kill three children in Tanzania

    TRAGIC! Lions kill three children in Tanzania

    Three young children were killed by lions near Tanzania’s world-renowned Ngorongoro wildlife reserve as they went to look for lost cattle, police said on Thursday.

    The youngsters aged between nine and 11 had arrived home from school on Monday and gone into a forest near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to search for the missing animals, Arusha police chief Justine Masejo said.

    “That is when the lions attacked and killed three children while injuring one,” he added.

    Ngorongoro in northern Tanzania is a World Heritage Site that is home to wildlife including big cats such as lions, cheetahs and leopards.

    “I would like to urge the nomadic communities around the reserved areas to take precautions against fierce animals especially when they task their children to take care of the livestock. That will help to protect the children and their families,” Masejo said.

    Tanzania allows some communities such as the Maasai, who graze their livestock alongside wild animals, to live within national parks.

    However, they are often in conflict with animals such as lions and elephants which can attack people, livestock and destroy crops.

    Last year, Tanzania relocated 36 lions from the Serengeti National Park after attacks on humans and cattle from the surrounding communities.

     

  • Imo philanthropist adopts three lions

    Imo philanthropist adopts three lions

    A philanthropist, Innocent Onwubiko, on Wednesday formally adopted three lions from the Imo Zoological Garden and Wildlife Park, Owerri.

    The General Manager of the park, Mr Francis Abioye, said the adoption followed the signing of a one-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the management and Onwubiko.
    Abioye commended Onwubiko for showing interest in wildlife preservation.

    He said: “This is the first time in the history of Imo where an animal was adopted by an individual.

    “Gov. Hope Uzodinma’s administration has advanced the cause of wildlife conservation in Imo. “This arrangement will help to sustain the lifespan of the lions because they are special species, known as West African Lion.

    “When any specie of plant or animal goes into extinction or terminated from the system, the world changes so our generation should preserve them from going into extinction.”

    Onwubiko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he decided to adopt the animals to support wildlife conservation in Nigeria.
    He said he would cater for the wellbeing of the lions until the end of the MoU.

    “I want to support Imo government to sustain the life of the lions because to feed a lion is very expensive.

    “I am a lover of nature and this is one of the ways Onwubiko Foundation will show love to animals and promote wildlife conservation in the country,” he said.

    He commended the Imo government for approving the adoption of the lions and advised for an upgrade of the state government-owned facility to international standard.

  • Buhari’s son in-law sets tongues wagging over posing with lion

    Buhari’s son in-law sets tongues wagging over posing with lion

    Ahmed Indimi, son-in-law of the President, Muhammadu Buhari has shared images of a white lion on the leash on social media with the caption “my new pet.”

    The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion, Wikipedia reports.

    “White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest recorded sighting in this region was in 1938,” it says.

    Proving that he has also acquired a white lion, Indimi displayed his pet on Instagram .

    In the comment section, a certain @amma_licious said, “I really hope it’s a joke because these are endangered animals. Their population is diminishing due to poaching and such acts of keeping as pets.”

    One Lilvicky68 on Nairaland forum said, “I wish the lion could take a lovely bite.”

    On Twitter, @sadedoyin1990 wrote in Pidgin English, saying, ” Nah the lion go kill ham las las.”

    “I really hope it’s a joke because these are endangered animals. Their population is diminishing due to poaching and such acts as keeping them as pets,” a user wrote.

    “Animal abuse. He should be in the wild but they have tamed it as a pet,” another user wrote.

     

  • Escaped lion recaptured in Kano after devouring 1 Ostrich, two goats

    Escaped lion recaptured in Kano after devouring 1 Ostrich, two goats

    The management of Kano Zoological Gardens on Sunday morning announced the capture of a lion that escaped from its cage on Saturday night.

    In a BBC Hausa Report on Sunday, the zoo managers said the lion was captured after eating an ostrich and 2 goats.

    The lion had escaped on Saturday while the rangers working at the zoo were trying to put it back to its cage.

    According to authorities, the lion did not cause serious damage outside the zoo as it was captured within the zoo premises.

    The lion had broken into ostrich cage on Saturday night and ate one of them before the authorities lured the animal into its cage with two goats.

    The Managing Director of the zoo, Sa’idu Gwarzo according to BBC Hausa said the lion was found at goats’ cage where he had eaten up all of them.

    Speaking in Hausa he said “We have closed the cage and are going to tranquilize the lion before transferring it to its cage,” he said.

    The escaped lion was among other animals that were taken to an exhibition in Nasarawa State

  • Lion kills 34-year-old owner

    Lion kills 34-year-old owner

    A 34-year-old man has been killed by his privately owned lion in the Czech Republic, news agency CTK reported on Tuesday.

    The roughly 8-year-old lion and a lioness, who was pregnant and being held in the same cage, were shot by police during the incident in the small eastern village of Zdechov.

    “That was absolutely necessary so that rescue services could get to the man,’’ a police spokeswoman said.

    The Czech Republic has a whole series of so-called “zoo parks’’ or “nature parks,’’ where big cats often live in poor conditions.

    According to the Environment Ministry in Prague, there are 44 lions, 49 pumas, 20 tigers, 15 ocelots and eight leopards being held in these private zoos.

    The lion owner had made headlines last summer when he was walking his lioness on a leash down a forest path.

    Meanwhile, another man on a mountain bike was injured in an incident with the lioness.

    Police classified the event as a traffic accident.