Mallam Abba dey feed lions and oda wild animals for Kano state zoo for 50 years

“If di animals dey sick, me sef go dey feel sick.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation

Since 1971 wen Kano Zoo open for public use na im 71 year old Mallam Abba Gandu don dey work for di place and e tell BBC Pidgin say di wild animals wey e dey feed for over 50 years don become like part of im family.

“I start work 1971 after dem launch Kano Zoo because na our farmland bin dey here so after dem start di zoo dem employ many of us wey stay around.”

Mallam Abba

BBC

“I don dey here for 50 years now and my job na to feed di lions and oda wild animals wey dey di zoo and na job wey dey sweet me pass anything.”

Mallam Abba say na from im work e build house many years ago, marry and now get eight children wey dey attend school.

Di animal feeder tok about how normal day be for am for half a century now.

“I start work by 8am and when I come first I go report to my oga and from dia I go go carry di meat wey di animals go chop for distribution.

Mallam Abba

BBC

“Every animal dey get im share and after I serve dem I dey stay behind to observe how dem dey feed if I observe anything odd I go go report so that medical pipo go come check di animal.”

Mallam Abba say im and di animals get special connection.

Even at night if I come near di lions and dem smell me e get one sound wey dem dey make to signal say yes dem know me.”

Mallam Abba say nothing like normal working hours for am for 35 years now because na job wey im like so e no dey close early.

Mallam Abba

BBC

“When I start di work, my off days na Saturdays and Sundays but 35 years ago I come start to work everyday because I no get any oda thing to do, any day wey I no come e mean say I dey sick.”

“I no fit do any oda work na only dis work I know,sabi and love. All di 10 set of lions wey dis zoo don get from 1971 till date na like family and I dey remember dem wella, even di ones wey die.”

Finally Mallam Abba say e dey fear say young pipo wey suppose take afta am when e finally stop work no go like dis kain work.

“Young pipo today na just to enjoy, dem no like work like my own, so sometimes I go just dey tink say wia di next generation of lion feeders go come from.”

Mallam Abba get praise from im oga

Mallam Abba

BBC

Na Nura Lawal Doguwa dey in charge of all di wild animals for Kano and na im dey supervise Abba Gandu, e tok to BBC Pidgin about im ‘dedicated staff’.

“Mallam Abba na one of our best and most experienced staff, for 50 years wey e dey work e neva get any single issue for im work.”

“We dey very proud to have am and our hope be say e go continue for many years to come.”

Visitor dey enjoy how Mallam Abba dey feed di animals

Shuaibu Ali na frequent visitor to di Kano Zoo and e say one of di tins e dey like to see wen e come na how Mallam Gandu dey feed wild animals.

“Na one of di major attractions for me because I dey enjoy to see di tough animals dey feed and na how I take sabi Mallam Abba Gandu wey sabi do im work well.