On Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, animals in the Imo zoological garden were relocated by the Imo state government to a similar facility in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
The zoological garden, located in Nekede, Owerri West council area of Imo start, was established in 1976 under the state ministry of agriculture as an animal park.
It sat sits on 10 hectares of reserved forest, while housing a variety of animals, including lions, chimpanzees, monkeys, pythons, ostriches and crocodiles, among others.
With a massive land mass of rainforest, which remained restricted strictly against any form of encroachment, the Nekede Zoological Gardens had a natural appeal, which held visitors spellbound, coupled with the nerve calming chirrup from more than 1,000 species of birds that nest on the huge trees in the rich forest.
Observers had, however, noted that although the zoo had suffered neglect under successive governments in the state, last year’s evacuation of its animals and conversion to a residential estate remains the height of recklessness, as it remained the only surviving zoo in Imo state and the southeast region in general.
The lingering controversy and tension over the relocation of the Nekede Zoo in Imo State by the Gov. Hope Uzodinma – led government of Imo state has refused to abate as the people of Umuejechi Nekede, host community of the zoo, “notified that all the lands comprised in the former Agriculture Development Corporation (ADC) which includes the moribund Nekede Zoo and the adjoining lands which the Government of Imo State is presently trespassing into are the bonafide property of the people of Umuejechi Nekede citing the judgment of the High Court of Imo State as affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
The Umuejechi Central Assembly stressed that “anybody dealing with the government of Imo State or any of its agencies over the land or any part of it, does so at his or her own risk as the land does not belong to the Government of Imo State”.
The dispute over the land escalated in February when Governor Uzodima relocated the animals in the zoo to Jos Zoological Garden, thus increasing the the need for not just a settlement of the land dispute, but also an urgent need for the establishment of a wildlife conservation centre or zoological park as the case may be in Imo state , for the very least and the southeast by extension.
One begins to wonder the effect of the absence of such such a Centre in the entire geopolitical zone on wildlife/conservation education in the region and Nigeria at large.
True to this aphorism, the Nigerian Association of Zoological Gardens and wildlife Parks (NAZAP) has said the closure of the Imo State Zoo in Nekede would negatively affect conservation education, research and tourism in Nigeria.
In a statement last year, the group advised Gov. Uzodinma to reconsider the decision, saying it would send the wrong signal to the global community, especially after he promised during the 2020 World Wildlife Day commemoration in Owerri, Imo State, that his administration would upgrade the facility to international standards.
Recall that the pioneer NAZAP Year Book equally listed Imo state zoo amongst its thriving national assets, thus deserving pride of place.
“ We will be saddened by this turn of event, if true, especially as the zoo is now the only surviving zoo in the South East of Nigeria,” NAZAP said, while reacting to the relocation of animals from the zoo.
NAZAP further disclosed that, “bringing closure to this facility, as being alleged, will be a costly narrative for conservation education, research and tourism in Nigeria”.
This begs for answers to the question of quality of education especially for students of zoology, anthropology and wildlife conservation in the region.
Where would the practical sessions hold ? Apart from classroom theory, what else would they take away after four years in an university? How well will they be able to compete with colleagues from universities in other parts of the country and beyond?
The answers to these questions and more definitely lie in the readiness and ability of concerned authorities to restore wildlife conservation in the southeast as a matter of urgent importance.
In Nigeria, a National Council on Animal Welfare (NCAW) was inaugurated in 2022, dedicated to animal welfare in Nigeria and support for wildlife conservation.
While the welfare of animals may not readily be an issue in contention in this discourse, their welfare can hardly be separated from their use for academic research and related purposes as well as their contribution to the continued survival of our ecosystem.
Interestingly, the entire Chapter 50 of the Criminal Code is dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty.
Among other provisions, anyone who is cruel to an animal by any means, or assists / permits another in being cruel to the animal,, is liable to imprisonment for six months with an option of fine.
The Court may also deprive a person of his possession of an animal if it is established that he was cruel to such animal. The relocation of the animals from the Imo zoological garden to Jos and the delay in their return, 17 months after, is clearly a self shot in the leg, with its ugly consequences staring the southeast region in the face.
It is therefore pertinent, that in keeping with extant laws, and in obedience to the laws of good reason and conscience, stakeholders in Imo and southeast Nigeria, rally to ensure the restoration of wildlife to the region to support environmental, academic and other interests.