Expectedly, and in reaction to the mysterious death of a man on Sunday, August 28, 2022, who was allegedly attacked and killed by a lion at the Accra Zoo.
The decision to shut down the Zoo, according to the Head of Corporate and Media Relations, Ms. Joyce Ofori Kwafo, was to allow a thorough investigation to be conducted into the circumstances leading to the attack and killing of the man.
In an interview on Citi Fm, Ms Ofori Kwafo revealed 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. He did not use the right means to enter the zoo. The zoo is situated in the Achimota Forest. 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.”
“The place has been properly secured. It has an outer and inner lock. The inner wall is 20 ft high. It is evident that the man tampered with the cage. We all suspect that he went in through there”.
We consider this decision worrisome, is it that authorities at the Zoo are unwittingly suggesting that they lack the will power and capacity to provide security for tourists who will be visiting the palce. Otherwise, why the impulsive resort to closure of facilities for fear of animal attacks, which to all observers, was the first attack, since the Zoo was relocated to the current location.
No matter how plausible the reason of the Forestry Commission is, we strongly suggest that the Zoo, should be opened, with adequate security provided.
