We don’t feed lions gari; Accra Zoo management

The management of the Accra Zoo within the Achimota Forest in Accra has dismissed rumours that the two lions at the recreational facility are fed with gari.

According to the Zoo Manager, Mr Stephen Tamanjah, the lions are fed twice a week with huge quantities of beef, enough for their development.

Such false statements, usually shared on social media platforms, he said, had badly affected patronage at the zoo depriving the zoo of the much needed revenue.

Mr Tamanjah in an interview with The Mirror during its visit to the zoo recently said most people who visited were interested in seeing big animals like lions and so they were kept under good conditions.

The Ostrich, the largest living bird, was present at the zoo 

He added that none of the animals, including those which were transferred from Accra to Kumasi to make way for the construction of the Jubilee House died.

Admitting that the zoo was currently not engaging in much activities for the sake of publicity, that he said had resulted in many people being unaware of the present location of the zoo.

He explained that management was working hard to give it all the publicity it deserved.

"The issue is that when the zoo was moved to the forest, the information people got was that all the animals were moved to Kumasi. People didn't know that we have the zoo here and that is why it is not popular but the zoo exists and l encourage people to patronise it,” he said.

Patronage

The zoo has enjoyed some patronage since 2018 and Mr Tamanjah says that it has contributed significantly to the country's revenue.

 It, however, had to close last year after Ghana started recording COVID-19 cases.

 “Due to COVID-19, we closed down in 2020 and like most other sectors, we lost some revenue but we are open now," he said.

The white naped mangabey monkey sat in a corner with a confused look

Currently, the zoo has no elephant but there are lions, crocodiles, snakes, a variety of birds, deers and monkeys.

The elephants, he said, were located in some protected areas like Mole National Park in the Savannah Region.

A day at the zoo

The Mirror team toured the zoo with Ms Ophelia Oppong Yeboah, a tour guide.

At the den of the two lions, which was deep in the forest, we observed that the lioness constantly sat in front of the male, and had the duty of quickly getting up to receive visitors while the male kept its pride by looking on.

Observation of the two lions portrayed a classic example of a couple in love.

There was some partnership between the two which made them a beautiful sight to behold.

Visitors are likely to leave with a picture of them on their minds forever.

Though the female gets up to check who was trying to invade their space, the male follows up as soon as the female delayed in returning.

Ms Oppong Yeboah said at feeding time, it was the female who used its instinct and sense of smell to grab the meat and take it to the male.

"The male continues to protect its pride in the animal kingdom while the female takes care of it," she explained.

Visitors

Mr Tamanjah said both foreigners and locals patronised the zoo but the majority of visitors were schoolchildren who came in large numbers.

The facility charges GH¢10, GH¢5, GH¢4 and GH¢2 for Ghanaian adults, university students, senior high school students and pupils respectively.

Foreign adults, university students and children pay GH¢20, GH¢10 and GH¢ 5 respectively.

There is a crocodile pond at the zoo

He said the zoo opened from Monday to Sunday, and visitors were given a guided tour and advised on the dos and don'ts at the facility.

“Visitors are not allowed to feed any animal at the zoo or move to any part of the facility without a tour guide,” she stated.

Challenges

The Mirror team noticed that the facility had no electricity, and according to the Zoo Manager, although the animals did not need light, it would be good for the staff to have electricity to facilitate their operations.

The zoo did not have a facility for visitors to have snacks while on their visit, and according to Mr Tamanjah, the management was working on creating a comfortable space that “will receive visitors well”.

Another challenge was that most of the structures were made of wood and so there were a lot of termites, and staff had to constantly pay attention to the safety of the animals and themselves.

History of Accra Zoo

The Accra Zoo was established in the early 1960s by Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the current Jubilee House in Accra as a private zoo.

It was later opened to the general public, especially schoolchildren, to be able to acquire some knowledge of wildlife.

In 2006, as part of the facelift of the Jubilee House, the zoo was relocated to its present location within the Achimota Forest Reserve.