INTERVIEW: ‘The last animal census Nigeria had was in the 80s’

By Olamide Francis

Dr. Moses Oyatogun is the National Coordinator, Research and Development, Forestry and Wildlife, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and a Senior Lecturer in the same school. He speaks about the state of Wildlife in Nigeria and the steady depletion of animals in zoological gardens across the country.

NatureNews: What would you describe as the challenge(s) facing zoological gardens in Nigeria?

Oyatogun: There are numerous challenges. Let me just attempt to itemize them:

One, there is a challenge of appreciating wildlife. Then, there is challenge of data. There is a lack of accurate data. I mean we don’t even know the exact population of wild animals that we have in Nigeria.

I can recollect that the last serious animal population census we did was far back as the 1980s and what we did at that time was that we combined the animal population census with national livestock population.

This was because at that time, the government was serious about funding wildlife, forestry, and activities that would conserve the resources we have in Nigeria.

For example, I have used a seasonal plane with people like Kevin Milligan and the late Professor Afolayan to do a survey of some of the national parks we have in Nigeria. We wanted to know the potential of those national parks.

At that time the Federal Government was serious so we usually had intergovernmental agencies who selected people from the research institutes, federal department of forestry and wildlife departments.

I was working in a research institute then. We were about six that were selected. We were the people that surveyed Gashaka Gumti and then recommended to the government that it should be made a national park.

It is important I start with this because the sources for the materials for our zoos are the national parks. The government has been trying to have the national parks as a national park system.

Another of our challenges is the lack of national focus. At that time, we had eight national parks. Yankari was one of them but because of our perception in this country, lack of focus from our political leaders and lack of collaboration with professionals. Instead of trying to increase the number of National Parks that we have which are the sources of wildlife that we can take to the zoos, they transferred ownership to state government and returned it to Yankari Game Reserve.

As a nation, we should make every effort to increase the number of national parks we have.

Lack of funding is also a major challenge. The zoos are not properly funded.

In the 1980s, there was a national wildlife capture team and Kainji Lake Research Institute did a lot of capturing of cubs with people like Prof. Agbelusi and the wildlife team at Kainji.

We collaborated with our counterparts in the school of wildlife management and we had a very good capture programme.

We were able to capture about 10 cubs with permission from the National Parks but the research couldn’t continue because funding ceased.

Let me mention that as of today, we don’t have capture guns in Nigeria. There is no way of demobilizing animals in our zoos for treatment or transportation. We only have few professionals specializing in wildlife programme.

We’re supposed to have veterinary doctors that specialize in wildlife veterinary medicine so that they can be part of the capture team and zoo management teams.

The government are only paying lip service. They are not funding educational program well. We have a college of wildlife management but we don’t have specialists to dispense knowledge.

Our wildlife is a national heritage and we are supposed to have active zoos. There is a lot to gain from ecotourism.

Zoological gardens are also facing environmental challenges like disease, flooding, under population, lack of facilities, inconsistency with policies and many other basic things. Government must fund wildlife well.

NatureNews: Why are we having an alarming rate of depletion of animals in zoological parks across the country?

Oyatogun: The first reason is inadequate feeding.

Second, inadequate drugs and equipment to keep the animals alive.

Three, over modification of the environment such that it isn’t looking like the natural environment of the animals.

Four, human beings are stealing some of those animals for special type of medicine, juju, voodoo; some are even stealing and re-selling the animals to other zoos.

We lack good inter-zoo cooperation if not it would be difficult to sell an animal stolen from a zoo to another zoo in Nigeria.

Inter-zoo will help zoos with multiple animals of same type distribute them to other zoos in need of same animals for exchange so that we’d have a widespread of animals across the zoos.

In addition, zoo workers lack incentives. Zoo workers are still being owed various allowances. There is no way they’ll be loyal.

NatureNews: What does it look like to manage a zoological garden/park?

Oyatogun: Managing a zoological park involves human resources management, management of the animals and management of the environment of the animals.

For example, we had an equipment in the FUNAAB ZOO Park that was cheap but functional. We used it to measure four different parameters within the zoo to help understand the animals’ behaviours under various conditions.

Zoos around the country lack basic equipment as such. There is no way the animal environment can be properly managed if there is no data on the environment.

Also, accurate data is necessary; the number of visitors daily, their social status, the animals they came to see, the region of the world/country that they came from, etc.

With these daily records, the progress of the zoo can be monitored and number of visitors tracked. Data collation and storage is vital.

When I was managing the FUNAAB zoo park, I developed a package for computing daily records of animal behaviours, foods, and other vital data. Staff must have the summary of the daily activities. It can help in analyzing numerous variables in the zoo. Data will help in tracking the kinds of animals visitors want to see and predict future trends in the zoo.

For example, knowing the location and population of termite mount will help track the movement and presence of pangolins.

Poor care for animals is a problem in zoological parks too. One of the ways to determine a good zoo is if the animals are reproducing within the zoo. It shows that the zoo environment is conducive for them. Some animals should also be allowed to free range in the zoo.

Human resources is important too. I usually gave my staff incentives while I was managing the FUNAAB Zoo. Zoo staff overtime allowance must be promptly paid.

There are holidays like Christmas that zoo workers are on ground for visitors. We must also make them feel the celebration of such days by giving incentives and making them belong.

I cooked for my staff on special days. It makes them happy to come to work knowing they have lost nothing. Manage animals, the staff, and visitors properly – that’s a core management principle for zoological parks.

NatureNews: You did mention that the National Parks are the harvest points for animals in Zoological parks. Recently, we have also seen a depletion of animals at the National Parks. Are there other means of getting animals for the zoological parks/gardens other than the National Parks?

Oyatogun: Some of the ways to acquire animals for zoological parks/gardens are to capture them from wildlife area, inter-zoo exchange, purchase and confiscation from illegal hunters. If the animals have not been killed before rescue, the zoo can be used to rehabilitate the animals.

Animals cannot just be acquired from National Parks alone. When I was managing FUNAAB zoo, a hunter killed an animal but kept the young ones alive for about three weeks before we discovered. I purchased the young animals from him, about four of them. Three eventually survived.

What I am trying to say is that confiscation is a way of acquiring animals and can be done effectively if the hunter is properly educated.

I don’t support the importation of animals from foreign nations. What you are communicating to the foreign nations is that your animals aren’t good or important enough because you haven’t created an environment for your own indigenous animals to thrive.

It’s simple. If you cannot take care of animals that suit your local environment, there is no way you’ll be able to cater adequately for foreign animals.

The foreign animals you seek to import will have to first adapt when they reach here. We can take a clue from Kenya where the indigenous animals serve as a source of foreign exchange. When people come to look at your own kind of animals, they will see your own type of environment, people and culture. We can import good ones for information purpose but we still have a lot to do with our local species so that we don’t lose them.

For example, our pangolins are being killed indiscriminately and sold to foreigners. Our pangolins only give birth to one per year whereas the foreigners buying and taking them to their countries, give them adequate care and funding, conserve them and ensure that they give birth to at least two per year.

Tourism is to package whatever you have to the extent that others will want to enjoy it and export it. Tourism is local. If we fix this, we fix everything inter-connected to the tourist site.

NatureNews: Do zoological parks/gardens receive funding from international organisations and environment-focused NGOs?

Oyatogun: Yes, if you package your zoo parks well and be able to make people see the importance of what you have. Nationally, people and individuals interested can give grants in form of care for specific animals, conservation, etc. It all depends on how you package yourself. NGOs and international organisations will not be happy to give you funding if you haven’t managed the one you have effectively.

They want to be convinced to ensure they give the money to people that will use the money well. Visitors have personally donated towards the care of an animal while I was at the FUNAAB zoo. You need to convince people with your proposal and passion to get aids and equipment.

NatureNews: What do you think are the recreational values and foreign exchange values of Zoological gardens to its location and the country as a whole?

Oyatogun: One, foreigners appreciate your animals because they don’t have the kind of animals, plants or environment.

Two, you will be able to earn foreign exchange. Three, knowledge will be exchanged because you will share about the animals here and their environment and vice versa.

Also, it will aid the development of economic linkages.

In addition, you are able to sell your cultural and heritage to visitors. They won’t take it away but they would have felt the culture in various forms. You will be selling your nation which is a good thing.

NatureNews: Who are the major stakeholders of zoological gardens in Nigeria and what would be your advice to them to abate the prevailing challenges of zoological gardens in Nigeria?

Oyatogun: One, government. By government, I mean the federal, state and local governments of Nigeria.

Number two, the communities are major stakeholders. If they properly package themselves, the zoo parks in their community can put them on the world map because of the uniqueness of what is in the community.

Government must carry the community along before embarking on any project. Let them play their part and own it for conservation and protection sake. Every individual is a stakeholder too. We must all be committed to protecting the environment because if we don’t we might lose what we have.

That’s why we must elect the right leaders in political offices. Leaders who understand environment management and conservation. We are all stakeholders, we must play a role in it.