By: Favour Bamijoko

The Director of the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden, Professor Awobode, has dismissed as false the viral rumor claiming that a lion escaped from its enclosure on Friday, November 14, 2025.

A 24-seconds video footage obtained by IndyPress had earlier revealed a lion perched on a tree near the garden, raising public concern about a possible escape.

IndyPress visited the Zoological Garden on November 14, 2025, to investigate the situation.

Addressing the development, Professor Awobode, the Director of UI Zoological Garden, in an interview with IndyPress, confirmed that the lion in question, named Princess, never left its enclosure, affirming its safety.

She said, “the distance between the tree and the perimeter fence of the enclosure is such that it cannot jump that distance. And then, there is no way it can jump from where it is and cross the fence outside of the enclosure. Please, let everybody be calm and let’s stop the false information.”

She further described the spread of the rumour as inimical to the reputation of the University.

“We’re actually demarketing our university with that kind of information,” noting that the circulation of unverified claims creates unnecessary panic,” she added.

Reaffirming the commitment of the Zoological Garden to safety, the Director emphasized that both visitors and the university community remain protected.

“We try as much as possible to ensure that everybody is safe because we are conscious of the fact that we have people coming in here on a daily basis, and we’re also concerned about the safety of the university environment as a whole.

“So, the lion is on the tree, lions climb just like other cats would climb, and with all the attention she’s getting she’s not curious about looking at what’s happening. So, by all the frenzy around her, you people are keeping her more and longer on the tree than she should have been. We’re safe, the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden cares about everybody,” Professor Awobode clarified.