Fatal Lion Attack on University Zookeeper Blamed on ‘Human Error’
The staffer was mauled as he was feeding the lions, the school said.
NimTree.com via Getty
A zookeeper at a university in Nigeria was killed by a lion he was feeding on Monday afternoon, the college said in a statement.
Olabode Olawuyi was responsible for the zoo at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), according to the BBC, and had been caring for the lions since they were born on the campus around nine years ago, a university spokesperson said. Colleagues who went to his aid were unable to save him, the school added.
Extremely graphic images appearing to show Olawuyi’s body in the aftermath of the attack have been shared online. The lion involved in the attack at the university in the southwestern Osun state has since been killed.
Abbas Akinremi, the president of the university’s student union, told Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper that the incident was caused by “unfortunate human error on the part of the deceased.” “He forgot to lock the gate after feeding the lion,” Akinremi alleged. “He was a good and humble man, who attended to us nicely whenever we went to the zoo. The incident is unfortunate, and we pray to God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
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