[ad_1]


President of the Zoological Society of Nigeria and a professor of Zoology at the University of Ibadan, Alexander Odaibo, speaks to VICTORIA EDEME on the procedures that must be followed in taking care of animals in the zoo
What does taking care of wild animals in the zoo entail?
One has to be properly trained on how to manage and be able to take care of wild animals in the zoo. Such a person needs to get a clear understanding of the behaviour of every animal they are taking care of. Apart from training, one has to be very careful and pay attention to details in all they have to do. At times, there could be human error. For example, not locking the gate when it is supposed to be locked. Also, there are procedures for feeding animals, and if those laid down procedures are not properly followed, then accidents can occur.
These are wild animals and no matter how much one tries to take care of them, one can never convert them to domestic animals. They’ll remain wild animals, and as such, when the opportunity arises for them to attack either an enemy or to attack for food, these animals will go for it. Those are the things involved in taking care of wild animals. So in summary, one has to be very careful, pay attention to details, and follow the laid down procedures for approaching such animals for feeding purposes or other reasons. Every zoo has a procedure, depending on what kind of cage it has or the kind of exhibition system that has been put in place. These are just the basic facts about taking care of wild animals in the zoo.
When it comes to taking care of lions specifically, is there any special skill a zoo keeper must possess?
Taking care of all wild animals requires the procedures I earlier stated. The lion, as we all know, can be very aggressive. Its aggressiveness also depends on the way the lion has been trained. When you put animals in cages, the way you relate with them also matters. Every animal, just like every other organism, wants to be loved. However, if you are aggressive to such an animal, it will also be aggressive towards you. But one fact remains, you can never tame wild animals to a point where they can behave like domestic animals. Such is not possible. They will always be wild animals regardless of how they are tamed.

The construction of the cages where these animals are kept should also be taken into consideration. Some cages are constructed in such a way that a zoo keeper can move an animal from one cage to another and lock it up. Then the zoo keeper will enter into the cage where the animal was earlier kept to drop its food and leave the cage. Thereafter, the animal can then be returned to the cage so that it can eat the food that has been dropped by the zoo keeper. This particular process reduces contact between the animal and the person feeding it. That kind of cage construction will not allow any contact between the animal and the zookeeper. Efforts must be made to ensure that there is no direct contact between the animal and any human, even the person feeding it.
In some documentaries, it is noticed that some people come close to wild animals and have direct contact with them. Are there any special skills required for that?
It depends on the kind of exhibition system that has been established, as I earlier mentioned. These are people who have worked with these animals for a very long time. They are also taking risks. Some people use lions for circus shows to make money and at the end of the day, many of them are killed by the animals. Ordinarily, for wild animals, direct contact between humans and the animals must be limited or avoided as much as possible.
Can you explain how the mind of the lion works with human beings?
It depends on the relationship between the animal and the person involved. The lion sees any human being as an enemy first. But some people, like the zoo keepers, may come to relate with the lion regularly, especially through feeding. For example, when a dog is newly acquired, it may be aggressive towards its owner. But as the owner continues to feed the dog, the animal will begin to identify its owner. At this point, the dog will no longer be aggressive towards its owner. However, if somebody else comes in to make contact with the dog, the dog may still react violently towards such a person. The dog has been domesticated but we’re talking about wild animals here and it’s a different thing.
Animals in the zoo had been in the wild before being brought into captivity. That they are being kept in captivity puts enough pressure on them. Some of them may even develop some abnormal behaviours because they were kept in captivity after being taken away from the wild. So it depends on the kind of training and the kind of environment the animal is living in. That will determine the behaviour of that animal in captivity. The way people take care of them also matters and determines whether they are aggressive towards them or not. You cannot be approaching an animal and you’re holding a stick. When you do so, such an animal will see you as an enemy, no matter how close you are to such an animal. So it also depends on the approach and how aggressive the animal can be.
What are your thoughts on the recent incident at the zoological garden of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where a lion fatally attacked the veterinary technologist in charge of its feeding?
There are procedures for feeding animals, so I don’t know what happened in this particular case. If those laid down procedures are not properly followed, then incidences like this can occur. I also don’t know how the cage construction is at the OAU’s zoological garden. It could be a human error, either not locking the gate or negligence somewhere that would have led to the lion having direct contact with the zookeeper. I haven’t got the details yet but from what has been reported, there may have been negligence on the part of the people feeding the animal. In feeding, one should avoid direct contact with the animal, which is the first thing that ought to be done. It also depends on the way the cages are constructed. Some cages are constructed in a way that there is no direct contact between the animal and the person feeding it.
If you must have direct contact, you must restrain the animal in such a way that it will not have access to you as a person. For example, when these animals are sick, they have to be treated. In such cases, there are cages you put them in and you restrain them, so they don’t have that free chance to move and you can administer medications to them. But when it comes to feeding, the animals can be moved from one cage to another. In this scenario, I don’t have a clear idea of what the OAU zoo looks like, so I wouldn’t know exactly what happened. It might be either the doors were not properly locked or something went amiss.
What could the onlookers have done to stop the attack or prevent fatality?
Usually, there are restrainers in zoos. They could have also euthanized the animal so that it would weaken and knock it down. If they have the chemical for euthanizing close by, they could easily use that. But in a situation where you’re not expecting such an attack, even before they have access to their facility for such a chemical, it might take some time. If the cage used excludes every other person from gaining access that would also be very difficult.
The lion in the OAU case was eventually euthanized. Can you explain this process?
Euthanizing involves the use of a chemical that puts animals to sleep. There’s gun-like equipment that is being used to shoot the chemical into the body of the animal. When that is done, the animal goes to sleep immediately. The intention is not to kill the animal but to weaken it fast.
How long will such an animal sleep after it has been euthanized?
It depends on the amount of chemical that has been shot into the animal’s body. It is usually administered according to the animal’s body weight. If you give an overdose, it could lead to the death of the animal. On the other hand, if you do not give enough dosage, the animal may wake up earlier than expected. So it is usually calculated based on the animal’s body weight. If you know the body weight, you will know how much chemical ought to be administered to the animal.
What are your thoughts on people who keep lions as pets at home?
Keeping lions as pets at home is a very dangerous thing to do. I wouldn’t know why anybody would keep lions as pets. Apart from the danger of being attacked by the lion, they could also transmit zoonotic diseases. Such animals can transmit anthrax and quite several other diseases. Anthrax can be transmitted from lion to man, in addition to several other diseases. As a result, it is not good to keep such wild animals in your home.
The right place for such wild animals to be is the zoological garden, where facilities are made available to keep them and where experts are available. Such experts can easily reach out to manage the wild animals when situations arise. However, there are people who, out of the abundance of what they have, can easily afford to keep lions. But that is a very dangerous act. It is not advisable to keep wild animals in your home. Apart from posing risks to you and members of your family, your neighbours can also be at risk of attacks.
When a lion attacks someone, does it transmit poison or inject venom as some other animals do?
Lions do not transmit poison or venom when they attack man. When a lion attacks, it is either to kill or to feed on. Lions may also attack for their self-defence, especially if the lion thinks you are coming to attack it. Other than that, the lion attacks with the intention of killing and eating. When lions attack, they always go for the neck of their prey.
Why does the lion go for the neck of its prey?
During an attack, lions go for the neck of their prey with the aim of suffocating the prey and puncturing the blood vessels located in the neck, which will lead to the death of its prey. As such, lions usually go for the neck of their prey first during an attack. They are experts in doing such.
What are your thoughts on the current state of zoology and wildlife conservation in Nigeria?
Zoology is about research into animal behaviour, the environment, and everything about animals. People are not aware of this study. If you tell people that you read zoology, they think you only get to work in zoological gardens. There is not much knowledge about what zoology entails. Also, many people do not know the importance of these wild animals. For instance, if an average young Nigerian sees a lizard, the first thing that comes to the mind of that young person is to pick up a stone to kill it. If you ask that child why he wants to kill the lizard, he won’t be able to provide an answer. We don’t appreciate that animals we have around us have some roles to play in the health of our environment. Whether it is a snake or an ant, they all have their roles to play. So, if we understand them, we’ll know how better we can manage, live, and relate with them. I think it’s an area where there has to be advocacy and public education concerning the animals all around us.

[ad_2]