Memories Of Animal Handlers Triggered By A Friend's Visit

A snake charmer with a tamed snake
Last weekend, a family friend, Segun, paid us a visit en route to the electronics market close to our house intending to purchase a new battery for his laptop. He arrived at our house quite early and asked to play video games to pass the time before the market opened for commercial activities. While playing the video game and waiting for the market to open, Segun was having fun defeating the non-player character who, before then, often beat him whenever they played. After gaining an impressive number of wins, Segun got a call from the shop where he wanted to buy the battery and left for the market afterward.

A snake charmer in action

After spending a considerable amount of time at the market, Segun returned to our house. Observing that he spent a long time at the market, I asked him why he took so long while there. He responded, saying the battery was unavailable at the market, and further expressed his frustration for being unable to get it there after a wide search. After serving him lunch, Segun and I engaged in a lengthy discourse that dealt with many topics, particularly the ensuing conflict between Israel and Hamas. After sharing our views on the issue, Segun realised that he had spent more time at our house than he intended, thereby taking his leave.

An Animal handler with a hyena in Northern Nigeria

However, while on his way out, an event happening adjacent to our house caught his attention. Some snake charmers were at the junction showcasing their ability to tame snakes. Their demonstration turned out to be sensational as it pulled out an excited crowd who were willing to see the performance. Segun, after observing all that was going on, called my attention to it and cited his concern about the large number of snakes used for the show and the safety of the audience per adventure any of them goes wild. His anxiety immediately made me recall how unprofessional animal handlers used to roam the streets of our neighbourhood with dangerous wild animals in the past.

An animal handler and his hyena

It was common some ten years ago to see unprofessional animal handlers move around our neighborhood and its environs with different wild animals with the aim of entertaining residents and passersby so that they could earn some money. One of the animals often used for this fanfare was the cunning and dreaded hyena. Despite the entertainment the audience seemed to get whenever these animals were being paraded by the animal handlers, the atmosphere was usually tense and filled with uncertainty because there was a possibility for chaos. The animals were wild and an attack on the audience could occur!

A hyena struggling with its handler

Whenever these demonstrations were going on, it was not unusual to see the captive hyenas display aggression while trying to break free from their leash. During such occurrences, there was commotion invariably among the audience as no one wished to become prey to these predators. However, whenever the animal handlers subdued the hyenas, the audience became calm, acting like nothing potentially dangerous almost took place. The reaction always appeared strange to me! The excitement, thrill, danger, and hyenas associated with the acts of the animal handlers rapidly grew in popularity in my area.

A hyena walking in the wild

Surprisingly, as time progressed, so did the exhibitions of the hyenas decline. The situation continued gradually until it eventually stopped. Analysing the cause of this development in retrospect, it seems like the risks and unregulated nature of these exhibitions are responsible for their discontinuation. In light of these turn of events, it will suffice to say the audience realised the danger attached to the acts they consider entertaining.

A wrapped ball python

As an attempt is being made by some of these unprofessional animal handlers to reintroduce their acts in my neighbourhood and its environs, concerned individuals like my friend, Segun, have a genuine reason to be worried because these exhibitions pose a threat to our community. No one knows if the animal handlers have been granted permission by relevant authorities to demonstrate to the public. Taking all these factors into consideration, I think their activities should be suspended as wild animals like hyenas cannot be safely domesticated for entertainment.

Have a splendid day folks,
Thanks for reading.