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In the same vein, there are a number of game reserves such as Kwiambana Game Reserve, Alawa Game Reserve, Dagida Game Reserve, Orle River Game Reserve and Kwale Game Reserve. It is pertinent to know that today, wildlife conservation and tourism are now developing in Nigeria. More areas like Lekki Peninsula established in 1987 are being gazetted into forest and game reserves while the existing ones are upgraded to national parks. Also, the Cross River National Park (CRNP), which is reputed for its extensive stock of biological and cultural diversities, has been classified by the IUCN as a “World Heritage Site”.

Just like in every other human society where Animal Rights are respected, Nigerian government also respects and canvasses for Animal Rights. Hear what a Nigerian Wildlife Rights advocate has to say on animals’ rights, “Animals must be protected not simply because they represent an economic value, nor because the pain they endure offends our sensitivity or emotion, nor even because they are part of our environment but because they are living sentient beings which must be protected from humanitarian reasons, precise legal protection and these will lead to a greater respect for the interests of animals.” Though destruction of animal habitat from uncontrollable exploitation of forest resources without corresponding investment has been the most decisive factor in the catastrophic diminution of Nigeria’s wildlife, however, there is a call to invest in forest today by planting trees, avoidance of illegal felling, reduction in the length of felling cycles and imposition of minimum felling limits.

Hurray! Not only Nigerian government that is striving to protect animals’ rights, but her institutions as well, for they have begun to respect Animal Rights; for instance, on 23rd day of September 2011, the Nigerian Army in full military honours, laid to rest its White Stallion and regimental mascot of 1 Division Headquarters, Kaduna whom soldiers held in high esteem for its assiduousness, orderliness, decorum, loyalty and efficiency in the military ideals.  This gesture portends a rare precedent of man’s humanity to animal and victory for Animal Right to dignity in death in Nigeria.  What magic for positive change and lesson for individuals!

Today, federal, state, local and private agencies keep a close watch on the population and health of all the game species, so that misuse or mismanagement of this natural resources is almost put on hold, although, the outcome of these agencies’ efforts have not been quite impressive due to the gross indiscriminate killing of animals in some of the unreserved areas or even in reserved areas without efficient legal restrictions of poachers or supervision of licensed hunters. The government of Nigeria has put in place legal restrictions limiting and controlling hunting methods, protecting female animals, breeding seasons and accessibility of landowners to game species found on their lands; however, these laws have not been adequately enforced.

Judging from a distance with a set cynical mind, one may conclude that Nigeria government is not doing much to protect the endangered animal species within her walls, but interestingly Nigeria was among the first countries to ratify the treaty drawn up in 1973 to protect endangered species - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Based on this, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Environment has established Wildlife Rescue Centres to preserve endangered species of wild fauna and flora across the country, according to official report by Mr Salisu Dahiru, the acting Director of Forestry Department of the Ministry, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

Nigeria was among the first countries to ratify the CITES treaty in 1976, and it domesticated it by promulgating the Endangered Species Act in 1985 to control the trade and traffic of endangered animal and plant species.

To buttress the success and proper implementation of the convention, after the act was promulgated, wildlife personnel are being posted to the nation’s international airports and seaports. The good thing about CITES is that the convention is domiciled in the ministry but the enforcement is not done by the ministry or by the Department of Forestry alone. Besides, there are a lot of agencies that work hand in hand to ensure animal safety. For instance, Nigeria has a wildlife division that work in conjunction with NESREA (National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency); there are also a number of military and paramilitary such as the Nigerian Customs, the Police, the National Plant Quarantine Services; they are all in the airports and seaports to champion this just course. Hear what Mr Salisu Dahiru did say on this issue, “We have intensified our enforcement efforts, instead of relying on only one agency undertaking the enforcement, we go as a team.

The government in conjunction with the Ecological Fund Office, has established, Wildlife Rescue Centres (WRC) so that when some of the endangered species have been confiscated, they will be put there for rehabilitation, before they will be introduced to the wild. Regrettably, in early 1990, the re-organisation and the streamlining of regulatory personnel at the ports resulted in the exit of CITES enforcement officers. This brought about a weakened enforcement of CITES and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), consequently, there were reports of a series of wildlife crimes involving illegal trade, smuggling and forgery within and across Nigeria’s borders.

In time, the government reviewed its national CITES legislation and took appropriate steps to enhance its enforcement. Based on this, Nigeria has made a lot of progress in curbing those practices. Lest we forget, we may need to appreciate the recent activities of some governmental and non-governmental agencies like the Important Bird Area (IBA) project, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Environmental Right Action (ERA) as they through the efforts of FEPA in 1978 recovered and retracted into the country two monkeys smuggled out of the country to the Philippines in 1995. The Nigeria legislation on ‘National Environmental Regulation’ and ‘Protection of Endangered Species in International Trade’ was also upgraded in 2011.

According to Mr Dahiru, Nigeria has been carrying out all the activities on CITES list before any trading or movement of wildlife in and out of the country. “The ministry ensures that all the guidelines concerning that are fully adhered to. If they are on the prohibited list, then nobody can issue you any certificate; if they are allowed, then you pay the necessary approved regulatory fees for processing of some of those permits. Where there are violations, you are taken to court; the necessary penalties are imposed on you; I do remember, there was a case of a chimpanzee that was illegally being held.” Dahiru expounded, “There was public information and it had to be confiscated and the person was charged to court and the Chimpanzee was then taken to Cross River, they call it Afi Mountain Wild life Sanctuary.” It should be noted that a certain threatened gorilla species known as Cross River Gorilla, the Chimpanzee, and the drilled monkeys abound in the Afi Mountain Wildlife.

In order to forestall similar occurrence, the government had to mount surveillance on the national borders and also prevent the use of the seaports and airports as transit points for illicit wildlife trade.

Besides, the government has also intensified public education and awareness on wildlife conservation and the negative effects of illegal trade in endangered wildlife and their products. Meanwhile the government had to collaborate with some local and international organisations to this effect, and this has gone a great deal in controlling trade in endangered species of flora and fauna, and has reversed the trend of some species’ extinction. Nigeria government does not only focus on terrestrial organisms alone but also the aquatic life. This is seen with the promulgation of the Sea Fisheries Decree, 1991 – Sections 1, 8, 9 and 10 to regulate motor fishing within the Nigerian territorial waters and prohibit certain methods of fishing, like the use of any explosive, noxious or poisonous chemicals.

The government of Nigeria promulgated several other acts aimed at protecting endangered species. Federal Environmental Protection Agency Act appears to be the only legislation with a clear nomenclature of “Environment”, the subject matter of which other legislations complement. The Act establishes the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), which is now known and called National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Apart from her partnership with some local non-governmental agencies and society who are equally in the struggle to protect wildlife, Nigeria has also partnered international bodies like the World Society for the Protection of Animal (WSPA). The objective of this Society is to ensure that all National Animal welfare societies in all the countries of the world be organized to promote conservation and protection of animals both domestic and wild. This society has also been instrumental to the crusade against the scourge of wildlife smuggling and primates’ illegal trade. This is a case of a partnership that is yielding a fruitful result. For instance, the president of WSPA in 1998 wrote a letter to Nigeria, alerting it of the booming trade in endangered animals. In the protest letter, the WSPA’s regional manager for Africa revealed that Kano City was noted to be the cause for wildlife smuggling in Nigeria. And this situation was looked into and addressed appropriately.

Nigeria government is also working in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - a U.K. organization founded in 1889, concerned with the conservation of birds and with popularising bird-watching. It maintains nature reserves as birds’ sanctuaries throughout the U.K and the world at large. The organisation has prevented the loss of various breeding species, for an example, osprey. The ‘Important Birds Areas’ (IBA) project in Nigeria is a joint undertaking by the RSPB, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and three collaborating Federal Government agencies whose mandates involve aspects of conservation, protection and management of the Nigerian environment. The IBA programme is an ornithological undertaking whose main objective is to identify and document areas of remarkable significance for conserving birds and other forms of biodiversity. Hence, through the aid of Bird Life International, RSPB has conserved the Afro-tropical and Palearctic species.

Nigerian government is in a good working agreement with the International Primate Protection League (IPPL), a non-governmental organization whose objective is to conserve and protect non-human primates, protect primate habitat, reduce primate trade and also improve conditions of primates in zoos and laboratories.

This organisation has been in the forefront of fight against illegal gorilla trade in Nigeria and the government approves and appreciates every of their effort. Recently, through the assistance of IPPL, conservationists have fingered a Nigerian firm and a zoo in Malaysia for the trade in four young gorillas, which is part of a flourishing illegal trade in endangered species.

The surviving gorillas were returned to Europe and treated after IPPL contacted Rotterdam Zoo. IPPL emphasized that the gorillas should be returned to Nigeria after DNA tests and if they belong to the Nigeria/Western Cameroon gorilla subspecies, they should be housed at either Pandrillus in Calabar or Limber in Cameroon.

For the purpose of learning, it will be appropriate to highlight some of the conservation bodies in Nigeria, alongside international and multi-regional organizations that Nigerian government has been working with:

1. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA);

2. Important Birds Area project (IBA); Lagos

3. Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF);

4. International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN), North Western Zone at Hadejia – Nguru Wetland Conservative;

5. Savannah Conservation Board (SCB), Yankari National Park, Bauchi;

6. Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATP);

7. Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTA);

8. National Parks Board (NPB);

9. Drill Rehabilitation and Breeding Home (DRBH), Boki Local Government, Cross-River;

10. National Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC);

11. Lekki Conservation Centre, Lekki Lagos;

12. Nigerian Environmental Society (NES);

13. Nigerian Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA);

14. Nigerian Conservation Foundational Worldwide Fund for Nation;

15. Environment Rights Action (ERA); and

16. Nigerian Fields Society (NFS);

INTERNATIONAL AND MULTI-REGIONAL ORGANIZATION

1. European Council for Animal Welfare, U.K;

2. Greenpeace, Washington D.C. USA;

3. International Association against Painful Experiments on Animal, U.K;

4. International Fund for Animal Welfare, U.S.A;

5. International Jewish Vegetarian Society, U.K;

6. International Network for Religion and Animals, U.S.A;

7. International Primate Protection League, U.S.A;

8. International Society for Animal Rights, U.S.A;

9. World Society for the Protection of Animals, U.K;

10. International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUPN);

11. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Switzerland;

12. World Conservation Fund (WCF);

13. Joint World Heritage (JWH);

14. World Wildlife Fund (WWF);

15. European Nature Heritage Foundation (ENHF);

16. Wildfowl Trust (WT), U.K;

17. World Resources Institute (WRI);

18. Wilderness Society (WS), U.S.A;

19. General Animal Welfare (GAW), U.K;

20. Kindness Club (KC), U.K;

21. International Whaling Commission (IWC);

22. Conservation International (CL);

23. Great Apes Survival Project (GrASP);

24. Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF);

25. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), U.K;

26. Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species (DISS);

27. Bird Life International (BLI);

28. Wetland International (WI);

29. Chester Zoo Primate Project, U.K;

30. World Conservation and Eco-Tourism Society;

31. Global Canopy Programme (GCP) - an organization concerned with directing financial resources into forest preservation; and

32. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

Considering Nigeria endless list of animal acts, one might be tempted to equate animals with human. To further protect endangered species, Nigerian government had to establish the Animal Diseases Control Act. This Act ensures the control and prevention of animal introduction and spread of infectious and contagious diseases among animals, hatcheries and poultries in Nigeria. The law, which commenced on 24th February, 1988 prohibits importation of animal products except under a licence by its Section 2. Section 4 of this law prohibits importation of infectious agent except under a permit. Section 5 provides for the seizure and destruction of animal illegally imported. Meanwhile, the penalty for the offence of illegal importation of animals is provided for in Section 7(2) thus: “any person who is guilty of any such breach, non-compliance or contravention under this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N1, 000 or imprisonment for three months or to both such fine and imprisonment”. While Section 10 provides punishments ranging from the payment of N250 to three months imprisonment and forfeiture of the animal. The Act also designated several places as quarantine stations particularly in the air and seaports.

Who would ever think that the once endangered, extinction threatened subspecies of gorilla, popularly called ‘Cross River Gorilla’ would again abound in their natural homes? Though their population is fewer than 300, yet their revival is highly celebrated; kudos to conservation efforts and law enforcement for their survival. This unique subspecies of gorilla that is found only along the southern section of the Nigeria-Cameroon border resurfaced in the 1980s. The remaining Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) live in roughly 11 subgroups dispersed amongst the region’s highland areas. The Cross River gorilla is the most endangered African ape and it ranks among the world's 25 most endangered primate species. The progress recorded in the rehabilitation and conservation of these resilient gorilla species is partly due to the cooperation that exists between Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Nigerian and Cameroonian governments. Note that the Drill Rehabilitation & Breeding Centre-“Drill Ranch”, Pandrillus, Cross River State, Nigeria, which is funded by Nigerian government, is also an abode to this gorilla species and a number of others.

May we all learn from the words of Barrister Sikiru, an Animal Rights activist, in one of his papers titled ‘Synopsis of Animal Rights, October 10, 2011. Hear him out, “Awareness of Animal Rights is an inevitable hit, a galvanizing eruption of environmental energy and a panache that take contemptuous tirades of misuse of flora and fauna beyond the face value. It is the antidote that comes at a time when sustenance of endangered species of animal and the exhilaration of preservation of wild place and wildlife habitats is in the doldrums. Today, Respect the rights of your lower neighbours and have the benevolence of their CREATOR.”

1. 
   Prentice Hall Biology, by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine; page 150 – 156;
   
2. 
   The New Book of Knowledge, Volume 5E, page 208 – 211;
   
3. 
   Britannica Student Encyclopaedia, Volume 5 D-E, page 133 – 134;
   
4. 
   Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences, Second Edition, Volume 5, page 606 – 609;
   
5. 
   Encyclopaedia Americana, International Edition, Volume 10, page 798 – 802;
   
6. 
   Noss, Reed F. "Endangered Species." Microsoft, Encarta, 2009 [DVD];
   
7. 
   Laws of Nigeria cap 232, 1948 same as cap 132 Laws of Western Region of Nigeria 1959;
   
8. 
   Zoo licensing Act 1981 (S. 210); Animal Health and Welfare Act, 1984;
   
9. 
   Animals (Scientific Procedure) Act 1986; protection of Animals (penalties) Act 1987
   

10. 
    Laws of Nigeria Cap 232. Same as cap 232 laws of Western Region Nigeria 1959 (Now wild Animals preservation Laws of Oyo State Cap 132 of 1978;
    
11. 
    Environment and Tourism in Nigeria edited by Boyon pages 229-230;
    
12. 
    Federal Environmental protection Act Monograph 3 page 35 edited b E.O Aina and Adedipe;
    
13. 
    www.animalinfo.org/index;
    
14. 
    www.conservation.org;
    
15. 
    www.amnh.org/exhibitions/endangered;
    
16. 
    www.bagheera.com.
    
17. 
    http://animalrightsinnigeria.wordpress.com/category/animal-rights-groups-in-nigeria/
    
18. 
    http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/pdf/freeaccess/Nigerian-forestry.pdf