Ogba Zoo as it is popularly called, was initially an extensive botanical garden set up as a field laboratory for students and researchers, in 1966 before the concept of the Zoo was introduced in 1971.
It became an all-embracing biological garden and nature park to promote tourism and recreation.
Though some of the animals’ enclosures are empty, the zoo still has an interesting mix of animals for fun-seekers to appreciate whilst being close to nature.
The facility has an extensive landscape, picnic areas, children’s playground with diverse equipment and lush forest paths, all good for relaxing, social events and learning about the environment, as well as its conservation.
Weekend Magazine further gathered that the zoo and park, managed under Public Private Partnership, (PPP), is 320 hectares in size, which was carved out of the Ogba Forest Reserve. By way of landmass, only the Jos Wildlife Park and Zoo in Plateau State is said to be bigger in size than Ogba zoo.
Some of the tourists, who spoke to Weekend Magazine, said the zoo is a place to share joyous moments and make merriment with loved ones as well as relieve all worries.
Anthony Osas, said he always visits the place with his girlfriend to have fun and while away time watching various animals.
“We visit this place at weekends and festive periods to share good moments. Once one is here, there is no reason to worry because you also meet other people who are there to have good time. It is a place to behold and catch fun,” he said.
Another visitor, who simply described herself as Mrs Isaac and in company of her children said the place is good for the young ones to while away time and be happy.
“Apart from the interesting animals, it has recreational facilities the children can play with and be happy outside the home. There is no boredom here and I always enjoy coming here with my children who are always happy at the end of the day,” she said.
She noted that most of the animals, especially the monkeys and chimpanzees are very interesting when they display.
Despite meeting the entertainment needs of tourists the zoo has some teething problems, which according to its director, Andy Ehanire is now peculiar to zoos in the country.
Ehanire said the zoo was established as a very ambitious facility, having extensive layout, with diverse animals but in its 45-year history, it had suffered great decline before it was revived.
“As a result of the collapse and the near absence of institutional support, the new policy was to have a relatively moderate zoo where you can still find very interesting animals that could still give the required fulfillment to its clientele,” Ehanire said.
He said apart from viewing animals, the zoo also has facilities for picnicking, events like seminars, workshops, retreats and children’s activities.
One of the biggest challenges facing the zoo, he said is land encroachment by the neighbouring communities, leading to more than half of the zoo’s forest being devastated, with illegal structures.
He said the encroachment is getting worse by the day due to urbanization, coupled with the fact that people do not fully appreciate nature.
He said: “With the level of poverty and growing lawlessness, land-grabbers acting as community agents believe they can sell the land to unsuspecting members of the public.
“With no serious solution to this problem over time, such has constituted a nuisance to the zoo and its future.”
The director also said funding is another constraint because there is no framework for the implementation of a tourism development fund, with many Nigerian zoos being largely neglected, and their infrastructure getting obsolete.
On its part, the director said: “The idea of our management intervention, after the tragic collapse of the zoo in the 80s and 90s, was to resuscitate the facility, then strive to build a modern zoo that will fully mimic the natural environment.”
He pointed out that in this regard, there is a business plan for financial guarantee from the state government, which was approved by its executive council, but 10 years on, to give effect to it, is a problem.
“Despite this constraint, we have been able to master the routine upkeep of the facility, as well as the required upgrades of the animal enclosures, to the delight of our visitors,” he said.
However, he said, it is mainly schools from other states that are regular visitors to the zoo, but those in the state do not have it in their academic development.
Ehanire appealed for institutional support from all the government to aid the development of zoos in the country, saying that there is no such facility in the country that can generate a revenue to take care of its upgrade and recapitalization, even if they so desired.
