The Conservator-General of Nigeria National Parks Service (PKS), Ibrahim Goni, has appealed to the public to provide information that will lead to the recapturing of wild animals that strayed due to flooding being experienced in some states across the country.
The conservator-general made the appeal in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Yakubu Zull.
Goni, who sympathised with the flood victims and states, appealed to the public not to kill any strayed wild animal found displaced by the flood but rather call on experts for quick intervention.
He commended the Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu and the people of the state for calling on the service on sighting two strayed elephants in the Danten swamp of Bagudo Local Government Area.
He urged others to emulate the governor in “the protection of wildlife regardless of their location per time as they are essential for balanced and sustainable development of every nation of the world”.
“In Nigeria at present, the destruction of natural habitats continues unabated, resulting in the depletion of the country’s wildlife resources,” he said.
According to him, several species of wildlife have been lost while some are threatened with extinction due to other factors such as climate change, increase in human population and pollution.
The conservator-general said there is over 100 forest and game reserves across the country but that the situations of the reserves leave much to be desired.
“This is the reason the few remaining wild animals maraud with no habitat to protect them,” he said.
“The cases of a colony of chimpanzees killed in Enugu, elephants killed in Ondo and Kwara (Jebba), the marauding elephants in Ijebu Ode and the recent case of an elephant killed in Kebbi are fresh in mind,’’ he added.
Goni pushed for the review of the state laws that stipulated only N50.00 fine as punishment for the killing of endangered species like an elephant.
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