Wildlife in Nigeria is virtually getting into extinction
due to a gamut of factors. Across the country, little
or no attention is being paid to the maintenance of
infrastructure that once provided a safe haven for
flora and fauna. Similarly, while more and more
Nigerians appear to be patronizing tourism, zoos and
gardens seem to be fast disappearing in the country.
Following the neglect of zoos and gardens, rare
species of animals and birds have since taken a
flight and the hope of returning looks slim. A tour
around the nation’s gardens and parks reveals that
its wildlife has slipped into the same inertia that has
afflicted the socio-economic sector of the economy.
But is evokes the inevitable question: Where have all
the animals gone? Deputy Editor, Soni Daniel, Achor
Abimaje, Jos, Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt,
Patrick Ochoga, Benin, Najib Sani, Bauchi, Nnamdi
Mbawike, Enugu and Sakin Babalola, Ibadan, uncover
the vanishing wildlife in Nigeria.
The diminishing returns on wildlife in Nigeria are
obvious. Most of the zoos in the country are in a
sordid shape. Many others have since been closed
down or converted to other uses. A few that are still
standing are serving as mere monuments, having
lost the animals, birds and the ambience that once
excited and attracted visitors to them.
No one can say for sure how these natural settings
lost their beauty and steam but the general
economic downturn in the country, which has
afflicted even vital sectors of the nation’s life,
cannot be ruled out. The rot appears to have dealt a
debilitating blow on wildlife, leaving it in a state of
somnolence. It may take a long time for it to recover
from the amnesia but the patrons of wildlife are the
immediate losers while the country continues to
suffer from the decay that has set into the tourism
sector.
Despite its tangible and intangible benefits to
mankind, wildlife is yet to be fully appreciated in
Nigeria and accorded the pride of place it deserves
in the nation’s scheme of things. Beyond the laissez-
faire disposition of government towards wildlife,
Nigerians are also not fully entrenched in the art of
appreciating nature like their counterparts in other
climes where the practice has been integrated into
daily chores. Thus, treated with disdain by the
government, given a cold reception by potential
patrons and hounded by poachers and illegal loggers
who abound in large numbers in the forests, wildlife
in Nigeria has been eclipsed by a whirlwind that
continues to ravage the sector like a timeless
mirage.