A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has called on the Oyo State Government to probe the death of a lion attendant, Mr. Hamzat Oyekunle, at the Agodi Garden, in the state capital, last week.
The call was contained in a release signed by his personal aide Alhaji Akeem Azeez, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Ibadan, on Monday.
The PDP chieftain said it saddened the heart that such incident occurred that claimed the life of a dedicated worker.
Makinde expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased worker while calling for a probe into the incident, as there was need to make the park and other zoo safe for all.
Makinde also called the operators of the zoo to continuously involve their workers in frequent training and apply modern methods of keeping wild animals.
The release said further that the haggard look of the lion suggested that wild animals in the zoo possibly lacked the required care as was the case in Kenya and South Africa, “where fortunes are made from tourism to the benefits of hosting communities – which our space is yet to realize due to our being saddled with governance with limited aspirations for its communities and people.”
He stressed further that the outcome of the probe must be made public and the family of the deceased compensated for by the state government.
