These exotic animals are dying in Ogun, Ondo, Osun state

omotolani

September 18, 2017 4:43 PM

The elephants in these states could be extinct in five years if the problem of logging and poaching in their natural habitat continues.

Surprised there are elephants in Ogun, Ondo and Osun state?

Well, you can find forest elephants in these parts of Nigeria... Only they are dying.

It's sad to see that the Savannah elephants in the northern have received more attention than the forest species in the south.

The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) and the forest Elephant (Loxodonta Cyclotis) are found to be different from one another. The bush elephant lives in the Savannah or desert area while the forest elephant lives in dense lowland forest. The Savannah elephant can be found in Southern and Eastern part of Africa.

Some of the major problems of the Nigerian forest Elephants are forest conversion for other uses, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for their ivory, among others.

The forest elephants in Nigeria found in Ondo, Osun and Ogun states are more threatened by deforestation. Experts fear that about 40 forest elephants are remaining in Omo, Shaha and Oluwa forest reserves. Hunting, logging and farming methods used in the forest have affected them and depleted their population over the years.

Only organised conservation, public support and enlightenment and good habitat management are capable of saving the forest elephant species from extinction in Nigeria.

This should be a wakeup call for the government to do something about the gradual annihilation of these wonderful species.

omotolani