Not long ago, a lion killed a veterinary technologist, Mr. Olabode Olawuyi working at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)’s Zoo, Ile-Ife, Osun State. A new story has emerged on how another lion attacked and killed its handler at the Obasanjo Presidential Library, Ogun State barely six months later.
The 35-year-old zoo worker, Babaji Daule, who hails from Bauchi State, forgot to secure the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the animal, allowing the lion to escape and attack him on Saturday.
The incident resulted in fatal injuries to Daule’s neck, and he eventually succumbed to his wounds as reported by the police.
The police shot to release its grip on the victim but it was too late. The body was later taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital.
A statement issued by the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, on Sunday, said, “A deadly incident involving a wild animal attack has been reported by the Area Commander metro. On September 28, 2024, at about 7:40 hrs the Chief Security Officer of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library informed the divisional police officer that a 35-year-old man named Babaji Daule from Bauchi State, who is a trained handler of a male lion at the Zoological Garden in OOPL Abeokuta, tragically lost his life.
“It was discovered that the lion handler carelessly neglected to secure the locks and barricade the lion’s enclosure before approaching the cage to feed the animal.
“This negligence allowed the lion to escape and attack the handler, resulting in fatal injuries to the handler’s neck and eventual death.
“The victim’s body was removed and taken to the mortuary at Ijaye General Hospital, while the wild lion was shot to release its grip on the handler.”
With the spate of careless neglect to secure locks of wild animals by handlers probably due to lots of worries in the mind of the handlers considering the situation in the country.
Experts are worried why smart technologies are not deployed in the zoos where such dangerous animals are kept to protect the keepers even when they make mistakes.
According to a smart home developer, there are smart locks that automatically locks itself within specified time if left unlocked, there are alarm locks and lights that can inform you that the doors are unlocked as you move away from the door, there are motion and presence sensors that can detect as the lion crosses ‘marked out perimeter’ to alert anyone close by or even scare the lion to distract it and many more solutions depending on the goal.
He said technology is affecting everything and not just human lives and should be deployed in any ecosystem where animals are kept and human goes in there to take care or visit for amusements. He said further “if the life of people really matters in such environments, smart devices cannot be overemphasised.
“When we talk of technology, many think of CCTV but technology is not just that but lots of smart devices that can make life easier, simpler and secured.”
Amusement parks, zoos, recreation centres etc. should meet the new world standard to prevent future occurrences of such negligence and preventable deaths.