Achimota Zoo closed down to investigate the killing of a man by a lion
In an interview, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations of the Forestry Commission, Madam Joyce Ofori Kwafo said the Accra Zoo has been closed, to pave the way for investigations by the Forestry Commission into the death of the middle-aged man on Sunday 28th August.
She stated that “a staff of the Accra Zoo was going round yesterday and noticed a lifeless body in the lion cage. He quickly drew closer to assess the situation. They quickly called in the Achimota police after which the body was conveyed to the mortuary. After a closer look, we realised that the deceased intruded”.
Explaining the incident she said “he did not use the right means to enter the zoo. Whenever we get tourists, we assign tour guides to them. The cages of the lions are a bit far away from where the rest of the animals are. The idea is to give the lions something close to their natural habitat.”
Joyce Ofori revealed that the security aspects of the Zoo are in order and that “there was no security lapse. This incident beats our understanding. It has never happened before and we are all baffled. The place has been properly secured. It has an outer and inner lock. The inner wall is 20 feet high. It is evident that the man tampered with the cage. We all suspect that he went in through there,” she told Citinews.
Though in a press statement issued by the Forestry Commission, it absolved itself and the Zoo management of any blame, it has decided to investigate the incident, hence the closure of the Zoo.
By: Agaatorne Douglas Asaah | myactiveonline.com
