President hopeful, Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Cheddar, has justified his decision to import two tiger cubs into Ghana, which he came under fire for keeping at his home.
According to him, he brought in the tigers to help the tourism industry in Ghana and also prove that such animals can be kept in the country and the African Continent.
Cheddar, who made these remarks in an interview with JoyNews, on Friday, January 12, 2024, also said that he brought in the tigers as part of the things he wants to achieve; adding that he would soon add a panther and some lions to his collection of collection of wild animals.
“For big cats. I just thought that having two tigers in Africa, that people in Asia were saying that they will never survive in this part of Africa, which is the west, the east and the north. I was challenged to prove to them that, look, if my goat can survive in Asia, then why can your animals in Asia survive in Africa? So that's why I went to bid for the animals, bought them, brought them.
“I brought them because I wanted to create a zoo for them. I thought that creating a shelter for such animals also is part of my accruements, things that I have to do in life, and that's not the end of it. I want to bring in a panther. I'm going to bring in some lions. I think that in the tourist world, there is more we can do. That industry, the tourism industry has room for these things,” he said.
The businessman also bragged about his tigers making Ghana, the envy of many nations in Africa because just a handful of African countries have them.
“And I think right now, as we speak in Africa, apart from South Africa, Ghana is the only country that is with these two tigers. When you go to Nigeria, to Kenya, to everywhere, and I think the country should be proud, more so than I am, they should be proud that we have, that maybe we're about to even breed them,” he said.
He added that these wild animals can even be given to other African countries after they are bred as a sign of unity,
“We'll be the first country that will be able to give away tigers to countries like Nigeria and Kenya. I'm into unity. I'm into doing all of these things.”
Cheddar also disclosed that the two tiger cubs are still alive and healthy and that their zoo has now being built.
A BBC report dated November 28, 2023, stated that Cheddar’s pet tigers, which are well-grown now, are still being kept at his home in the Wonder World Estate, Accra.
The family that reported to authorities that the businessman was keeping the wild animals at his home, the Agba family, are still worried that they have not been moved.
According to the report, the court agreed with the family, who share a garden with Cheddar, that the tigers should be moved and asked the Forestry Commission, which is responsible for wildlife, to remove them within three days in November 2022.
Lawyers for the Forestry Commission had told the courts that they could only remove the animals when Cheddar completes an enclosure in another place to accommodate them.
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An old picutre of Cheddar and his tiger cubs (top); the tigers in a recent BBC picture (down)