Animals Starved to Death In Benue Zoo.

                           

Animals in the popular Makurdi Zoological Garden are being starved to death.

A lion was reported to have died of starvation in the zoo last week. Sources gathered that most of the animals kept in the state government-owned zoo located inside the Benue State University are dying due to starvation.

Only two weeks ago, the remaining two cheetahs died, one chimpanzee, a tortoise and others also died reducing the number of animals drastically.

 The lioness which finally succumbed to death on Wednesday after battling with severe hunger left alone its male companion in the lair. They were said to be both feeding on 14kg of beef twice or thrice in a week.

“The meal was quite insufficient for them. Our animals are dying unless something urgent is done, the entire creatures will go extinct in this zoo,” a staff who declined to give his name criedout.

Our correspondent, who visited the zoo, observed a case of abandonment as the dirt road leading to the place and the so-called gardens meant to house the animals in their different shades are over grown with weeds.

The zoo attendants were unwilling to answer questions. Neither the manager nor any senior official was within the vicinity to say why things are the way they are.