Volunteer locked in with lions at zoo still waiting on compo

There had been speculation in recent days that the council had finally reached a settlement with the unpaid worker who was left face to face with a Barbary lion after being accidentally locked in the lions’ cage.

It has been almost a year since the incident and it is understood the negotiation for damages and compensation has been complicated with issues surrounding the zoo’s insurance and the victim’s aftercare in the wake of the traumatic incident.

At the time the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) confirmed it was working with Belfast Zoo after incident.

An immediate investigation was launched which centred on how such a glaring error could have happened, an error that put the victim’s life at risk.

At the time a spokesperson for BIAZA, which represents the best zoos and aquariums in the world, said it was aware of the incident, and was actively engaging with Belfast City Council.

“The zoo has informed BIAZA that Belfast City Council, which owns and operates the zoo, is undertaking an investigation,” they added.

The professional body is a member of both the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

It collaborates with its members to further conservation science, natural history, and environmental education and animal welfare around the world.

According to a source familiar with details of the incident, the person involved was initially in the enclosure alongside a member of staff.

“The lions were originally kept in their den while (the individual) was in the enclosure with a more experienced staff member,” he said.

They said that the experienced employee then left the paddock.

The gate was locked and the animals were free to move around — meaning the person was “locked in” with the lions with “nowhere to go”.

Belfast Zoo is home to a pride of Barbary lions which includes one male lion named Qays and two females, Fidda and Theibba.

The breed is one of the largest sub-species and is extinct in the wild. The last picture of a wild Barbary lion, favoured by the Romans in the amphitheatres of the empire, was taken in the mountains Morrocco in 1925.

“This big cat measures one metre in height at the shoulder and up to three and a half metres in length,” the zoo’s website states. “Average weight can be up to 230 kilograms.”

Sources close to the Zoo told the Sunday World that a settlement was close but this week in response to a query from the Sunday World, the council confirmed the issue was “unresolved”.

Belfast City Council, which owns the facility, previously confirmed a probe was under way.

“Council is aware of an incident at the lion enclosure at Belfast Zoo earlier this month,” a spokesperson said.

“We take the safety of all our staff, visitors and animals very seriously, and an investigation is under way into the circumstances of this incident.

“We cannot comment further while this is ongoing.”

Belfast Zoo participates in the Department for Communities’ JobStart Scheme which is designed to allow unemployed 50 to 64-year-olds a chance to gain skills and experience in the workplace.

It also runs a number of apprenticeship programmes — it is understood the person involved was participating in one of these initiatives.