Wildlife, an untapped tourism product in Nigeria

Analysts in the tourism industry have suggested that Nigeria with its expansive landscapes and formidable wild life, is still far behind other African countries using wildlife to drive its tourism earnings. OREDOLA ADEOLA in this report explores the opportunities that abound in the country  

There is no doubt that Nigeria has a vast ecosystem that offers an amazing abundance of plants and animals that ordinarily should act as catalyst for a huge inbound and out bound tourism in the country, considering the scenic landscapes of the country's dense jungle of the rainforests, low lying savannah parks and sloping river valleys (wetlands), which is ranked among the continent’s best reserves. Tourism analysts are of the view that the country will continue to lose huge revenues if these natural resources are not converted into a tourism product that could drive tourists into the country. 

Few years back, Nigeria was reputed as a favourite destination for wildlife in view of its fauna (animals living in the country and its surrounding seas and islands.). According to experts,  the country was a major destination to many of the world's best loved and most fascinating animals, as well as to some of its most endangered species, with about 290 species of mammals and 940 species of birds some of which have been lost to poachers, mismanagement and land speculators.

While expressing disappointment over the passive attitude of the government towards the promotion of the various national parks in the country, the experts called for a review of the tourism sector to look into the country’s potentials created by investment in wildlife. It is also established that the key to transforming these gifts of nature to mediums for revenue generation depend on the ability to prioritise the tourism product, protect the environment in which wildlife thrive, and empowering those charged with protection of the various reserves.

According to a safari expert, the prices of the holidays for a visit to a safari range from N864,000 (£2,700) to N1.2 million (£4,000) for a total of seven days in the bush with wildlife in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The enthusiast believes that these are prices worth paying considering the leisure and excitement that comes with it. He said that it is disturbing that presently, Nigeria is not listed a one of the best safaris in Africa despite the huge revenue.   

Some of the game reserves and zoos in the country, according to experts, are near extinction due to poor management and lack of commitment by successive government to exploring the potentials in the tourism sub sector. They argued that the facilities have been abandoned by the government, leaving the animals at the mercies of poachers and land speculators.

Some of the country’s favourite reserves include Port Harcourt zoological garden, University of Ibadan Zoological garden, Yankari Game reserve, Bauchi, Jos Zoo & Wildlife Park, Cross River National Park and the old Oyo national park, Ibadan.

 The Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi, is arguably the best park for observing wildlife. Some of the animals that can found at the reserve include  Buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, hyenas, leopards, baboons, elephants and lions

The Cross River National Park is touted as Nigeria’s last great rainforest reserve. It is another park that experts say has the capacity to draw tourists. Sitting on an area of about 4000sq km, it is a moist tropical rainforest ecosystem in the north and central parts, and mosaic vegetation on the Obudu Plateau. It has a large community of gorillas which can be tracked.

The Gashaka-Gumti National Park is the largest and most scenic reserve in the country. It is located in the mountainous region of north-eastern Nigeria adjacent to the international border with Cameroon, and immediately to the north of the Mambilla Plateau. The Gashaka section of the park has undulating mountain terrains, excellent for mountaineering and cave exploration. Within it is the highest point in Nigeria the “Chappal Waddi”, which literally means “the mountain of death” standing at an altitude of 2,400 meters’ above sea level. The forests in Chappal Waddi, Chappal Hendu, Chappal Yumti, and other mountains in this area are primate strongholds, with a large population of various monkeys and apes.

The Okomu National Park, although touted as the smallest of the national parks in the country which is about an hour’s drive from Benin City, Edo State, has a wide variety of wildlife, including the white-throated monkey which is one of the rarest monkeys in the world. Other animals found in the park include forest elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, leopards and bush babies.

The University of Ibadan Zoo, established in 1948 was designed primarily to support teaching and research in the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science. As animal collection grew in number, it became a full fledged Zoo in 1974. It welcomes a large number of visitors, who are from all walks of life, from far and near every year. Apart from displaying animals for teaching, research and the entertainment of patrons, the Zoo is for the conservation of endangered species to save them from extinction. The Garden is home to a wide array of animals comprising mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

According to a wildlifer, Mr. Wale Pearce, the proliferation of subsistence farms and large-scale timber harvesting portend serious dangers to native wildlife, particularly the African elephant and the extremely rare Cross River gorilla. He said that Gorillas and elephants need large, continuous ranges to survive. He said “The challenges facing the park are that the rural communities living within some of the national parks have expanded considerably putting intense pressure on the park’s resources,” he said.

He added that some of the protected areas are also becoming ever more isolated, with few resources and poorly trained staff in place to encourage sustainable management. Adding that in some areas, the “bushmeat” trade is a pressing threat, as demand increases to supply commercial markets. “A general lack of governance and awareness of conservation issues in communities surrounding protected areas also presents a major obstacle,” he lamented.

Ms. Sola Alamutu, Executive Director of Children and the Environment, CATE, said “Nigerians generally do not value wildlife. Most people see them as 'bush meat' to be eaten. During the research for my book on protection of birds and other wildlife at one of the game reserves in Cross River State, the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, after a tour of the premises was quoted as saying, "these animals are very nice, but I feel that I would enjoy them better if they were in my pot."

She disclosed that there cannot be meaningful respect for wildlife nor effort towards proper domestic tourism with administrator like that.

Mr Ikechi Uko, convener Akwaaba Travels Market, said “It is not true that Nigeria wildlife is near extinction. As a nation, we have not given wildlife a lot of tourism attention. The national parks are there waiting for patronage but the tourism dots are not connected. Wildlife safari is almost unknown as a product in Nigeria. For investors they need a proper business plan that can work in our kind of environment. Government needs to decide what exactly it wants to do with the parks with respect to tourism.”