As the government of President
Muhammadu Buhari looks to diversifying Nigeria’s economy arising
from the fall in oil revenue, one area that the country should look
into for the much needed succour for the people is eco tourism, with
zoological gardens and parks taking the lead in terms of visitor
traffic and experience.
The huge latent potentials inherent in
these conservation enclaves that are devoted to education, research,
recreation and sustainable development as a whole are unquantifiable,
but all suffering prolonged neglect from government and related
stakeholders. The Nigeria Association of Zoological Gardens (NAZG)
has therefore called for closer attention and proper funding for
these veritable ecological heritages, so as to open them for better
utilization and generation of revenue for the country and its people.
NAZG clearly stated thus: ‘‘With
proper funding of Zoological gardens and parks in Nigeria, it is
envisaged by the Association that this sector will reduce the burden
of mono-economy by helping to attract more capital investment and
generating more foreign currency, thereby boosting Nigeria’s
economy. More importantly, it will conserve our natural endowment for
the next generation yet unborn.’’
This call by the association formed
part of a 15 point communiqué issued at the end of its National
Executive Council’s two-day working visit to Jos, the Plateau State
capital. The working visit was in connection with the recent incident
of a lion escape at the Jos Wildlife Park and Zoological Gardens, as
well as the various issues confronting the conservation and
management of zoological gardens and parks across the country.
Amongst key statements in the
communiqué, ‘‘NAZG hereby calls on Plateau State government and
all other stakeholders of zoos and wildlife parks in the country to
strictly adhere to international standards and practices, in order to
avoid trauma to wildlife and other embarrassing circumstances.’’
Also to stem this tide, the association
has committed itself to visiting all zoological gardens and parks in
the country, in phases, with the hope of providing technical and
consultancy services, as well as ensuring that ‘‘each zoo visited
will be provided with detailed reports of its current status and
areas that need immediate attention for improvement of such
zoological gardens and parks,’’; so stated the Association in the
communiqué, which was signed by both its National President, Dr.
Olujumoke Morenikeji of the Botanical and Zoological department of
University of Ibadan and its National Secretary, Andy Ehanire of Ogba
Zoological Garden and Nature Park, Benin City, Edo State.
This pledge, the body said, is in line
with its emergent role ‘‘as a national advisory and regulatory
body, to ensure that all zoological gardens and parks are well funded
and encouraged to follow internationally acceptable zoo management
and development practices.’’
On the Jos Wildlife Park incident, NAZG
stated that ‘‘following in-depth investigations of the incident,
it is conclusive that materials fatigue from general dilapidation of
the facility, is the remote cause of the lion escape, in addition to
basic, and even unacceptable, logistical challenges. There is
manifest institutional neglect from cumulative arrears in scheduled
maintenance and required upgrades.
‘‘Considering the sensitivity of
the relatively high visitor clientele, which includes school children
and foreigners, there is culpability in operating public facilities
without adequate safety standards and relative best practices.’’
Given that the park has remained as the
most visited attraction in Plateau State and a key source of
employment and revenue generation, the association is calling on the
state government to accord the park the urgent attention that it
deserves through urgent repositioning and the installation of a
pro-active management system that guarantees quality assurance.
Also, NAZG said that ‘‘with its
natural endowments of spectacular landscapes and clement weather, JWP
should, expectedly, have seen significant expansion of its scope into
resort development that rivals any of its kind around the world, but
unfortunately, it has lost its shine and now appears in free fall.
‘‘While having some relief that
there were no fatalities from the lion escape incident, the loss of
the lion, being a valuable species in the collection, is highly
regretted. This is a scary reminder of the potential hazards in zoo
keeping, thus requiring adequate attention from policy makers. NAZG
seeks to preserve public interest and confidence by ensuring that
wildlife kept in zoos meet acceptable standards in terms of animal
welfare, personnel training and public safety’’
The association, which has also pledged
to work with both the Plateau State government and management of JWP,
disclosed that ‘‘a comprehensive technical report on the current
state of the JWP and issues emanating from the lion escape will
sooner be forwarded to the Plateau State Government and copied
relevant Federal MDAs in the regulatory environment.’’
At the national level, the association
wants the federal government to recognize the importance of zoos and
parks in tourism by ensuring their inclusion in the national tourism
master plan, being one of the most visited tourism assets in the
country, along with their urgent consideration for a Tourism
Intervention Fund.
Some of the functionaries and
institutions visited by the NAZG Council executives while in Jos,
included the Hon. Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality;
the General Manager, Plateau State Tourism Corporation, National
Museum / Jos Zoological Garden, Director, AP Leventis Ornithological
Research Institute (APLORI) and Conservation Observatory of the
University of Jos, as well as the Management of the National
Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI, VOM) and Jos Wildlife Park
(JWP).
Represented in the NAZG EXCO working
visit were Zoo directors and General Managers including Alh Ali Yola
of Kano State Zoo, Francis Abioye of Imo State Zoo, Aminu Mohammed of
National Childrens Zoo, Dr. Walter Oyatogun of FUNAAB Zoo, Abeokuta,
amongst others.
