The Accra Zoo has been closed down.
The move by the Forestry Commission is to allow for investigations into the death of the middle-aged man who reportedly scaled the fence and entered the lions’ cage.
The Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo told Citi News “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.”
She said the Commission is certain that the deceased broke into the cage.
“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.”
The Forestry Commission further cleared the authorities of the zoo of any blame.
“There was no security lapse. This incident beats our understanding. It has never happened before and we are all baffled,” she added.
