A lion in the zoological garden of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-ife, Osun State, has killed one Olawuyi Olabode, a veterinary technologist.

Abiodun Olanrenwaju, public relations officer of the university, stated that the deceased was trying to feed the nine-year-old animal when he was attacked and killed on Monday.

He further stated 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.

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“The other members of staff who were at the scene of the incident did everything within their power to rescue their boss but the wild cat had already caused severe fatalities,” the statement read in part.

“Olawuyi has been taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about 9 years ago but, tragically, the male lion killed the man who had been feeding them.”

Olanrewaju also said that medical and first aid efforts to resuscitate the late zookeeper failed. However, the animal has since been shot to death.

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Meanwhile, Abbas Akinremi, the university’s student union president, said that the incident was due to a human error on the part of the zookeeper, as he forgot to lock the gate after feeding the animal.

“The incident was not due to any complacent management but to unfortunate human error on the part of the deceased. He forgot to lock the gate after feeding the lion,” Akinremi said.