A middle-aged man has been killed by a lion at a zoo in Ghana’s capital Accra.
The man is said to have broken into the lions’ cage, after which he was attacked and injured by one of them.
He was confirmed dead after sustaining injuries. Authorities at the zoo do not know the motivation for the man’s actions.
The CEO of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, John Allotey in a statement said “Around 12:00 hours today 28th August 2022, officials of the Accra Zoo on a routine patrol, noticed a middle-aged man (an intruder) had jumped the security fences and entered the lions’ enclosure of the Zoo.
The motive of the intruder is yet to be determined. The intruder was attacked and injured by one of the lions, within the inner fencing of the enclosure.”
“The intruder has been confirmed dead from injuries sustained, and the body has been conveyed to the morgue,” Allotey added.
He noted that all the lions are in good condition adding that the “Forestry Commission wishes to assure the general public that no lion has escaped from the Accra Zoo.”
Really odd story. Man killed in Accra zoo after scaling into lion cage, according to officialspic.twitter.com/rd19bZE25h
— Michael Oti Adjei (@OtiAdjei) August 28, 2022
Meanwhile, Ghana’s police service has said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
In a statement it said “The Police have commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of” the man.
The victim who is yet to be identified was found dead in the lion enclosure of the zoo today, 28th August 2022.
After the necessary forensic examination of the scene, the body was removed and has been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
— Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) August 28, 2022
The authorities are investigating the incident but say the intruder climbed into a zoo enclosure.
Wildlife authorities now say the suspect he may have planned to steal two rare white lion cubs which have become a big draw since their birth last November.
A lion, a lioness and their two white cubs were in the enclosure at the time of the incident.
“The lions have cubs so if you come too close they may feel you are trying to take away their babies,” Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu Bio told journalists.
“We ask the public to desist from doing anything like this,” he added.
The cubs – born after breeding a male and female lion with recessive traits called leucism, is different to albinism. They have been huge attractions to visitors at the zoo.
The Global White Lion Protection Trust said only about a dozen white lions exist in the wild.
Source: Africafeeds.com
