The Jos Wildlife Park in Plateau on Tuesday replaced the lion its management killed last year (2015) following its escape from cage during a routine feeding.

Mr John Doy, the General Manager, Plateau Tourism Corporation, said this during the delivery of the lion to the park in Jos.

Doy said that the lion was got through a trade by barter with the Sanda Kyarimi Zoological Park in Maiduguri, Borno.

“We were able to replace the lion we lost last year through a trade-by-barter transaction with the Kyarimi Zoological Park in Maiduguri.

“We gave them a giant eland which is a unique specie of an antelope in exchange for a one-and-a-half-year-old cub.

“The park also procured two jackals, (male and female), as well as a male python from some vendors last week.”

Also, the Plateau State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Peter Mwankon, said that the park acquiring a variety of animals was to boost the state’s internally generated revenue and developmental projects.

He said that the management of the park had put modalities in place to forestall animals escaping from their cages within the park.

Efforts were still being made to equip the park with a variety of animals for tourists’ attraction, he said.

“The administration of Gov. Simon Lalong is poised to ensure the escape saga of last year does not occur again and more varieties of animals are acquired.

“The state government is also working toward getting tranquilizers in quelling animals when an escape incident occurs.

“Such drugs require some bureaucratic process to get because of its function.”

Mwankon said that more personnel would be trained on captivity skills, animals’ husbandry and other related skills to build their capacity in discharging their duties.

NAN reports that a lion escaped from its cage during one of its routine feedings last year and it was killed when efforts to recapture it was futile. (NAN)