- Zookeeper Olabode Olawuyi died from his research after being brutally mutilated.
- He had raised the lion from birth and was feeding it when the attack occurred.
A zookeeper in Nigeria was mauled to death by a lion he raised from birth.
The tragic and unprovoked incident occurred when zookeeper Olabode Olawuyi was feeding the lions at the Obafemi Awolowo University Zoo in Osun State.
The graphic video purports to show the aftermath of the attack, in which Olawuyi can be seen lying on his back, motionless and bloodied, with his eyes still open.
He could not be saved after suffering fatal injuries.
Zoo staff later shot the lion to death, something that was also captured on film.
Olabode Olawuyi raised the lions since they were born and was feeding them when the attack occurred.
Olawuyi, who was a veterinary technologist, had worked at the zoo for almost a decade and had raised all the lions housed there since they were born.
Abiodun Olarewaju, a spokesperson for the university, told the BBC that Olawuyi had been ‘taki“Taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about nine years ago.”
Olarewaju went on to say: ‘Tragically, the male lion killed the man who had been feeding them.
“We never found out what happened to the male lion that had to attack him.”
The university is now said to be mourning the death of Olawuyi and has sent a delegation to his family to offer condolences over the devastating incident.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, said he was “saddened” by the incident and ordered a thorough investigation.
Student union leader Abbas Akinremi told Nigerian newspaper Vanguard that the attack was caused by “human error” after the zookeeper forgot to lock the gate after feeding the lions.
He described the incident as unfortunate and paid tribute to Olawuyi as a “good and humble man, who looked after us very well every time we went to the zoo.”
According Wildlife explainedliZoo animals can form extremely close relationships with their keepers, especially if they have been raised from birth.
However, the wild animal explanatory site warns: ‘They cannot be completely trusted. If a lion feels threatened by some of your actions or gestures or loses his temper, he can become ferocious and cause fatal injuries in the blink of an eye.
‘So, even if a human has raised a lion as a cub and they have the best bond, it still needs to be conscious all the time.
‘The most important thing here is to act with caution.
‘You must always keep in mind that lions are dangerous and you must understand their mood and temperament and treat them kindly, with love and respect to help them maintain their pleasant behavior.
‘A wild animal will naturally act on wild instincts, even if it has never lived in a forest.
The lion was shot dead after the brutal attack on the zookeeper who had raised him since he was born
‘They are dominant animals and do not like humans to boss them around. “It makes them feel threatened and can cause them to attack.”
The BBC spoke to another zookeeper, Abba Gandu, who has been feeding lions for more than 50 years at a zoo in Kano, northern Nigeria.
He said Monday’s incident was “unfortunate” and that more safety measures were needed.
He said: “This incident would not affect me personally in any way as feeding the lions is what I want to do until I die.”
He added that his worst experience was when a baboon he was trying to feed bit his finger.