Nigeria town celebrates after hunting down ‘killer hippo’

Residents of a town in north-western Nigeria are celebrating after a rare but feared hippo - along with its calf - was killed by rice farmers and fishermen in a hunt lasting several weeks.

People in Yauri, in Kebbi state, have been terrified of the hippo after she killed a fisherman who worked for the local traditional leader.

It prompted the Kebbi state government to order that the animal be killed for the safety of the community living along the River Niger.

Nigeria’s hippo population has declined rapidly over the last few decades - estimates suggest there are now around 100 animals, which mainly live in conservation areas.

The hippo in Yauri was tracked down by young men, who used locally made spears known as a “zagos” to kill it.

Its carcass has since been ferried in a canoe to the palace of one of the Emir of Yauri's high-ranking administrators, where it has been butchered and its meat given to those in local community.

“We are a town of fishermen and farmers and this hippo has made many to stop going out due to fear of an attack,” resident Sani Yauri told the BBC.

“Apart from killing a member of the emir’s staff, it also seriously injured another person - not also forgetting the damage it regularly does to our farmlands.”

There are many paddy fields along the banks of the river near the town, where the hippo had sometimes been spotted.

“We are happy it has been killed and people came out in jubilation - and also got their share of the meat,” Mr Yauri said.

Another resident, Isa Jamilu, said he was relieved that could now go to his farm, which he had abandoned weeks ago.

Photos of the dead animal have been widely shared on social media - with mixed reactions: some hailed members of the local community for standing up for themselves while others expressed concern about the welfare of the animal.

The common hippopotamus is on the red list of threatened species put together by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“This is an endangered species and I was sad when I saw the video clip of people celebrating after it was killed,” Isyaku Abdullahi, animal rights activist and founder of Nigeria's African Voice for Animals Initiative, told the BBC.

“What the people of Yauri ought to have done was to report to relevant authorities who would capture and relocate it.”

He said communities living in rural areas, especially places like Kebbi state where there are several rivers and lakes, needed to be made aware of other options when dealing with the dangerous mammals.

Kebbi is renowned for hosting the annual Argungu Fishing Festival, which is on the United Nations' cultural heritage list.

Hippos are the third-largest land mammal and their teeth can reach up to 50.8cm (20in) in length. Despite their size, they can also reach speeds of up to 20mph (32km/h).

While the animals are herbivores, they can become highly aggressive when they feel threatened or their habitats are disturbed - and kill around 500 people every year in Africa.

By Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Zookeeper mauled to death by lion in Nigeria

A zookeeper has been mauled to death by a lion in south-western Nigeria after he failed to secure the locks on its enclosure when he went to feed it, police say.

The victim, a 35-year-old man, worked at the Presidential Library Wildlife Park, owned by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state.

Local police spokesperson Omolola Odutola said in a statement that "the lion inflicted serious fatal injuries to the man’s neck".

He said the lion was then shot to "release its grip on the handler".

According to a statement from the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the zookeeper had taken some guests to see the lion's feeding routine after hours on Saturday evening.

“The zookeeper, apparently, feeling comfortable with the animal, left the safety protection gate open and proceeded to feed the animal. He was mauled by the animal and died on the spot.

“To prevent further mutilation of the body, the animal was put down immediately by personnel of the park.”

The victim has been named as Babaji Daule, described by police as a trained lion handler.

It comes less than a year after another zookeeper was attacked and killed by a lion at the Obafemi Awolowo University, also in south-western Nigeria.

The incident has triggered concerns with people raising questions about the country’s regulations and management of zoos and handling of wild animals.

By Chris Ewokor, BBC

Related story: Lion kills zookeeper in Nigeria

Lion kills zookeeper in Nigeria

A zookeeper at a Nigerian university has been killed by one of the lions he had been looking after for close to a decade.

Olabode Olawuyi, who was in charge of the zoo at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), was attacked as he was feeding the lions, the university said in a statement.

His colleagues were unable to save him as one of the lions had already fatally wounded him, the university added.

The lion has since been put down.

Mr Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist, had been "taking care of the lions since they were born on campus about nine years ago".

"But, tragically, the male lion killed the man who had been feeding them," the university's spokesman, Abiodun Olarewaju, said.

"We never knew what came over the male lion that it had to attack [him]," he added.

Nigerians on social media have been sharing graphic images of the mauling at the university in Osun state in the south-west.

The university community is in mourning, and a delegation has gone to the family of Mr Olawuyi to offer their condolences.

The university's vice-chancellor, Prof Adebayo Simeon Bamire, said he was "saddened" by the incident and ordered a thorough investigation the incident.

The students' union leader, Abbas Akinremi, told Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper that the attack was caused by "human error" after the zookeeper had forgotten to lock the door after feeding the lions.

He described the incident as unfortunate, while paying tribute to Mr Olawuyi as a "good and humble man, who attended to us nicely whenever we went to the zoo".

Abba Gandu, who has been feeding lions for more than 50 years at a zoo in Kano in northern Nigeria, described Monday's incident as unfortunate and said more safety measures were needed.

"This incident wouldn't in any way affect me personally as feeding lions is what I want to do until I die," said Mr Gandu, who started feeding lions in 1971.

He added that his worst experience was when a baboon he was trying to feed bit his finger. 

By Basillioh Rukanga & Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Related story: Lion removed from house near school in Lagos, Nigeria

China jails gang for smuggling pangolin scales from Nigeria

A court in China has jailed 17 people for smuggling pangolin scales worth US$28 million from Nigeria to China.

The creature is the world’s most trafficked mammal in the world and its scales are used for medical reasons in Asia despite there being no evidence they can cure ailments.

The gang was convicted of importing 23 tonnes of scales between 2018 and 2019, the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern city of Wenzhou said on Tuesday.

Two men identified as “masterminds behind the racket” were sentenced to between 13 and 14 years in prison.

The remaining others were given jail terms ranging from 15 months to 12 years.

The scales were brought in on, among other things, a consignment “hidden in ginger slices”, the court said.
 

Coronavirus link?

China removed pangolin body parts from its official list of traditional medicines in June and raised the animal’s protected status to the country’s highest level due to its dwindling numbers.

Pangolin scales are traditionally used in China for a range of illnesses, including treating blood clots and aiding lactation.

But there is no scientific evidence that they have any medicinal value.

There are some studies that also suggest that the scally creature may have been the intermediate host that transmitted the coronavirus to humans when it first emerged at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019.

China has since banned the sale of wild animals for food in such markets.

China has cracked down on animal smuggling. In December, the country said it jailed a network accused of running its biggest-ever ivory smuggling ring, which moved elephant tusks worth millions of dollars from West Africa into the mainland’s vast domestic market.

AFP