By Kamsi Anayo
A lion has killed the veterinary technologist in charge of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, zoological garden, Mr. Olabode Olawuyi.
The announcement was made on Monday in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju.
He said Olawuyi who had been in charge of the garden for over a decade, was attacked in the afternoon by a nine years old male lion when he was feeding them in their den.
He explained that the other members of staff who were at the scene of the incident did everything within their power to rescue their boss but the wild cat had already caused severe fatalities.
“Saddened by this tragic event, the aggressive Lion has been euthanized,” the spokesman said.
Recalls that to euthanize, according Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary means “to kill a sick or injured animal or person by giving them drugs so that they die without pain.”
He said on hearing the sad news, the management team, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, abruptly ended an on going meeting for an on the spot assessment.
Olarewaju said upon enquiry, the Vice-Chancellor was informed, on arrival, by the Acting Director of the University Health and Medical Centre Dr. Tirimisiyu Olatunji, that all first aid and medical efforts to save the life of the victim proved abortive.
The spokesman said the university management had sent a delegation to the widow and children of the deceased, “imploring them to take solace in God who gives life and also has the power to take life.”
He added that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
The incident, it was said, had thrown the management, staff, students and the entire campus of the university into mourning.
The university prayed for the repose of the soul of Olawuyi