After Years Of Serving As ‘Kings Of The Jungle,’ These Lions Are Reduced To Skin And Bone

In what appears to be a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, visitors have uncovered starving lions in the zoos of two Nigerian Universities.

One of visitors who visited a zoo of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), while sharing a photo of a malnourished lion online was joined by another shocked visitor to the University of Ibadan (UI) zoo.

On social media, the first visitor posted the photo and said: “I visited OAU's Zoo today! I saw starved animals! I was moved as they laid helpless on the ground. On behalf of these animals I protest, please if you can't take care of them, do well to return them to the wild where they can fend for themselves.”

In a swift reaction to the post, another visitor to the University of Ibadan zoo posted a picture of a skinny lion with a docked tail and said: “I snapped this one at the UI zoo last month.”

The photos have sparked outrage online with many social media users asking for the return of the lions to the wild.

This is not the first time visitors have discovered starved and malnourished lions in Nigeria. Late last year, a visitor to the Gamji Gate zoo in Kaduna, Nigeria, was shocked to discover the conditions the animals at the zoo were being kept in.

After paying a one dollar entrance fee to the state-owned zoo, he came across a painfully thin lion - which looked as if it was on the verge of death - locked up in a cement cage.

The man who recorded his findings and quickly contacted the animal welfare charity WildatLife.e.V to assist in the rescue of the lion said: “The first moment I saw the animal I felt shock. I was so surprised. I felt so nervous and uneasy because it was my first time seeing a lion live.”

“Like this is my first time in a zoo. I virtually saw them in movies, news and magazines. Actually, most of the animals in the zoo are not well-fed. They lack proper treatment or let me say malnutrition.”

The wildlife charity immediately responded to the man's request and begun a rescue mission from the horror zoo in an attempt to save the life of the severely malnourished male lion.

A typical full-grown male lion weighs around 420 pounds, while female lions generally weigh about 280 pounds, but the ones shared recently by these concerned social media users are far behind that weight.

From the photos, the lions once considered Kings of the jungle are looking incredibly thin with their ribs visibly protruding from their stomachs.

The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow on zoos and aquariums around the world. During the lockdown, many of them were closed, which meant no ticket sales, no merchandise bought for the kids, no stroller rentals, and no food sales, all of which contributed to both zoo programs and long-term conservation worldwide.

Right now, it appears that virtually all the zoos in Nigeria are now strapped or devastated because of the staggering losses caused by the pandemic.

The Nigerian government should expedite action to save these animals from dying.