As a child growing up in Warri, Delta state, Ambrose Igboke was regaled with folktales of tortoise mischief, wisdom, and longevity. The lion was always touted as the king of the forest.
So, whenever he travelled with his uncle to his village in Enugu, Nigeria’s south-east zone, they would stop at the massive zoological garden in the state to see the tortoise and other animals.
Following the zoo’s closure, a former worker who demanded anonymity told TheCable that the animals were relocated to Nsukka, a university town, the forests were cleared, and the land was transformed into an upscale estate.“Then, the government began to allocate the land to some of its top officials and wealthy people in the state. They were the ones who could afford the cost of the land. It’s within the Government Reserved Area . Initially, it was called Zoo Estate.
Following the winding up of the Enugu zoo, wildlife lovers in the south-east had no other option than to travel miles to the Imo State Zoological Garden and Wildlife Park, the last surviving zoo in the zone. The park became the primary hub for recreation, education, and research.The zoo, founded in 1976, is nestled in a 23-hectare reserved rainforest along the old road leading to the historic Nekede community in Owerri West LGA of Imo state.
During the 2020 World Wildlife Day, the new governor also vowed to reform the zoo to international standards, retrieve designated forest reserves, and form a special wildlife and habitat conservation bureau.“Through our actions and inactions, the conservation of our national biogenetic pools today has a direct impact on our generation and future generations.
When this reporter visited the zoo opposite the Songai farm on November 7, the only indication that the place was once a former wildlife and nature park was the new administrative building that still adorns the zoo signage. A new fence was constructed to lock out the facility from outsiders. There was no visible entry point.“There is ongoing construction inside the zoo, and you cannot enter.
“All the lands comprised in the former Agriculture Development Corporation , which includes the moribund Nekede Zoo and the adjoining lands that the Government of Imo State is presently trespassing into, are the bona fide property of the people of Umuejechi Nekede,” the community said in a statement.
“I was properly informed about the plan to shut down the zoo. Initially, they didn’t come out clearly. You know the way some of these politicians behave. They came under the pretension that they wanted to relocate the zoo, and I argued with the governor why he shouldn’t do that. He asked why, saying the zoo is in the centre of the city where the land is very expensive,” Francis Abioye, the general manager and principal conservative officer of Imo Zoo and Wildlife Park, said in a phone interview.
Aside from the financial potential, he noted that the land was a sensitive ecosystem acting as a carbon sink and watershed, shielding the area from gully erosion, which often threatens it. “Evidence suggests that inadequate government support has contributed to the decline of zoos in Nigeria, effectively hastening their potential extinction. Without sustainable conservation methods, Nigeria risks losing ecotourism prospects, depriving local people and the national economy of important cash,” Oluwafemi said.
In 2023, some environmentalists in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, protested the state government’s plan to sell the forested part of the 58-hectare Agodi Garden and turn it into a residential estate. The facility between Mokola Hill and the state secretariat was created in 1967 as a conservation forest and recreation area. Then, it was called the Agodi Botanical and Zoological Garden — until the animals gradually disappeared.
“The reason why the government is intending to convert the forest to a housing estate is to make the place more secure, as the place is a death zone that serves as a harbour to many criminals where many innocent lives have been lost,” the
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