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Lion (in a game reserve in Cape Town, South Africa)

Photo: Mohamed Messara/dpa

A lion in Nigeria killed a zookeeper. The male animal attacked the man in the enclosure on Monday while he was feeding for an unclear reason and fatally injured him, according to the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife in southwest Nigeria. The veterinary technician has managed the zoo at the university for a decade and has cared for the lion since its birth nine years ago.

"The other employees who were at the scene did everything in their power to save their boss, but the wild cat had already caused serious injuries," a university spokesman said. "The aggressive lion was euthanized." The university ordered an investigation into the incident.

In the nearby city of Ibadan, a lion killed a man in 1991 after he jumped into the lion cage at the university's zoological garden. The man had attempted to reenact the biblical story of Daniel, who was thrown into a lion's den and survived.

swe/dpa