The Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey, has led a delegation made up of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry, Hon. Francis Manu Adabor, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, in charge of Forestry, Hon. Benito Owusu- Bio ; some members of the FC Board ; Deputy Chief Executives and some staff of the Commission to visit the Accra Zoo.
The visit was a follow-up to a meeting held yesterday at the Commission in relation to the recent incident which occurred at the Accra Zoo involving the death of an alleged intruder.
The Chief Executive and the Board of Commissioners took the opportunity to encourage the staff to work hard and not be dissuaded by the current happenings at the Zoo.
In his address, the Chief Executive indicated that the Deputy Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Iddrisu Musah , is the leader of a team which has been tasked to come up with ideas to improve security at the Zoo.
The DCE, in response, expressed his condolences to the family of the bereaved and stated that a thorough assessment and conclusion to beef up security at the Zoo has been done. He continued that the management of FC has already put plans in place to connect electricity to all parts of the Zoo ,install closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) and introduce (5) camera traps (which are already in use at the Mole National Park) to the Accra Zoo to maximise security at the Zoo.
He mentioned that there are plans to set up (3) gates at the Zoo, invite external security for an assessment and consult for more ideas on how to step up security, construct a security post with (2) permanent staff stationed at the lions enclosure. A security patrol team and the provision of fire extinguishers are all part of the safety measures to be put in place at the Zoo.
Mr. Allotey added that the mode of dressing of staff needs to be unique from that of visitors for easy identification. He buttressed on the need for the provision of external security services for the Zoo . Mr. Allotey emphasised on the need for proper recording system at the Zoo, tags for visitors and training of staff of the Zoo.
Hon. Francis Manu Adabo said he was at the Zoo to listen to the proposed measures and monitor its implementation.
Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio recommended that another high fence is set up to ward of intruders. He suggested that the new exterior fence is merged with the proposed new gates.
Also in attendance were the Technical Director in charge of Forestry at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan and Executive Director of the Wildlife Division, Mr. Bernard Asamoah-Boateng