A renowned Conservationist and co-founder of the Drill Ranch, Ms Liza Gadsby has expressed concern over the lack of expertise to effectively manage zoos across the country.
Drill Ranch and Rehabilitation Centre is a wildlife sanctuary that hopes to preserve endangered primate species such as drills and also provide a safe haven for orphaned chimpanzees.
Gadsby said this in an interview on Monday in Calabar, in her reaction to the recent incidents in Owerri and Jos zoos where animals were left to die of heat, thirst and starvation in trucks used to convey them from Owerri to Jos.
“When we came to Calabar years ago, we went to the zoo to see animals we had not seen before but we met rows of empty cages with only about six animals remaining, everything else had died of starvation.
“They showed us a building full of animal skulls that had died of starvation and this is what is happening in zoos everywhere in Nigeria.
“It is a misnomer to think that zoos make money, they do not, there is no good zoo in the world that makes enough money to run itself, they rely on private and government support in addition to gate revenues but in Nigeria, zoos are seen as revenue generating institutions,” she said.
Gadsby alleged that most times politicians come up to say they want to build zoos in their state but they budget nothing for the care of the animals and they buy animals from illegal wildlife traders which is sinful at every level.
She said these zoos have staff whose duties include feeding the animals, some of them are very well-meaning but there is no budget to feed the animals and the staff salaries don’t get paid regularly.
Gadsby also alleged that, with the little money allocated for feeding the animals, the workers use it to feed their own families.
“We have received documented calls from different people pleading that we go to one zoo or the other to rescue an animal dying of starvation in Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Kano and even the Maiduguri zoos before it was swept-off by the flood.
“One of my greatest successes in this profession was that we got the Calabar zoo closed because there were only three animals left, everything else had died of starvation,” she said.
She said that the government need to protect and fund its National Parks adequately, “this must be done in synergy with local communities and the state governments but if it decides to run zoos it must be done right and with all seriousness.”
The Drill Ranch has over 650 animals, most of which were recovered by government authorities from poachers, hunters or donated by communities.
Most of the animals are in the Afi Wildlife Sanctuary in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River.
NAN
