Following the gruesome killing of an unidentified middle-aged man by a lion at the Accra Zoo, it has emerged that there were at least three reasons for which the man could have breached the fences.
According to a statement dated Sunday, August 28, 2022, the Forestry Commission labelled the man as an intruder who jumped the security fence of the zoo and entered the inner fencing of the lion’s enclosure.
At this point, one of the lions attacked and killed him.
Although the Forestry Commission says it is yet to determine the motive of the man in the incident, a number of reasons have been shared.
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, who was at the scene of the incident, shared three major motivations that could have influenced the dead man’s decision.
One of those reasons, he said, was because the man wanted to steal the cubs in the enclosed area.
He was responding to comments that the victim of the attack could have been part of the people who visit the Achimota Forest Reserve to pray.
“At the Kumasi Zoo, officials report of receiving such persons on a daily basis. They come claiming they have prayed and been asked to live with lions. But the officials would usually dish out some slaps to them and send such persons back home. The slaps let them regain their senses and go back home because if you are of sound mind, you won’t come up to the officials to say such things.
“When you look at it, you would realise they (lions) were protecting their territory because these are two lions with two cubs. So, for someone who is not an attendant to go in there, they will perceive a threat and naturally defend themselves. That is what happened; they struggled with him, and unfortunately, he died. They did not feed on him; they even left him as soon as the attendants left him.
“You know how cats behave when they catch a mouse; they hold on to their throat until they remain calm. It was the same thing they did to him. They did not even tear away any flesh. That goes to show that the animals are not looking for humans to devour; secondly, it shows that the animals are well cared for. They are not left hungry. For that, I will applaud the Zoo officials,” he added.
Another reason that has been given for the incident has been that perhaps, the man (should the narrative that he was there to pray) wanted to re-enact the biblical story of Daniel in the lion’s den.
Also, there have been claims that the middle-aged man was in the den to satisfy a death wish – something that has not been substantiated in any of the reports shared so far.
The Forestry Commission is yet to update the public on further details about the man or the exact reasons that led to him being maimed.
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