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AGBELUSI, E. ABA)'"OMI e.s« M.Sc Wildlife Management UI Ph.D Wildlife Conservation ,FUTA Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management
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WILDLIFE RESOURCE: A NATIONAL HERITAGE
Inaugural Lecture Series 55
Delivered at
Federal University of Technology, Akure
On Tuesday, 3rd November, 2009
By
Agbelusi, Ebenezer Abayomi B.Sc. M.Sc. Wildlife Management (UI) - Ph.D. Wildlife Conservation (FUTA) Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management The Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Registrar, Other Principal Officers of the University, Deans, Directors and Heads of Departments, Highly esteemed colleagues, Eminent invited Guests, Great Futarians, Gentlemen ofthe Press, Ladies and Gentlemen.
INTRODUCTION It is with great thanks to Almighty God and with joy and unspeakable humility that I stand before you all, to present my inaugural lecture titled, "WILDLIFE RESOURCES: A NATIONAL HERITAGE", the fifty-fifth in the series of inaugural lectures of this great Institution. Mr. Vice-Chancellor Sir, this lecture is the 23'd from the School of Agriculture and Agriculture Technology and the first from the Department of Ecotourism and Wildlife Management of this . University. Permit me to mention that this lecture is also the fourth inaugural lecture in the field of wildlife conservation in Nigeria. The first inaugural lecture in this field was delivered by Prof. S. S. Ajayi on 27'h February, 1986, over 23 years ago and titled, "Wildlife in crisis: Conservation Antidote". Prof. T. A. Afolayan delivered the second in the series on 27'h February, 1987 titled, "Man's Inhumanity to Nature: The over-exploitation of Wildlife Resources" while Prof. S. A. Onadeko delivered the third in the series titled, "Home on the Range: Crises, Consequence and Consolation" on 25'h August, 2004.
WHAT IS WILDLIFE? Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, this is a good question without a definite answer. There are no clear taxonomic or behavioural boundary definition of wildlife, therefore ad ictionary will be oflittle help. In view of the changing definition of wild 1iIc, it is not surprising that the debate is continuous about the proper body' of knowledge and principle of wild life management.
Many people including those in the hall today listening to this lecture, literate PI' illiterate. regard wildlife as "bush meat" in the pot; this is far from ,Ill uuih. Wildlife is neither wild flower or lichens nor nematode. Genesis chapter i ictts the story of creation, which reveals that all living things created by God can be regarded as wildlife ( i.e.jlora andfaunay. Genesis 1verse 11 says that "God said
~ let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth, and it was so". This is the creation of the flora composition. In verse 24 "And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind, and it was so". This is the creation of the fauna component. Going by these verses, it was clearly demonstrated that God endowed different regions, nations or ecosystems ofthe earth with different flora and fauna resources. This was supported by Udvardy (1975) in his classification of terrestrial ecotypes recognized eight biogeographical realms overlapped by 14 biome. The biomes according to Mackinnon et al (1986) may occur in two or more provinces with different fauna or flora characteristics or may be divided by a physical barrier. For instance, the savanna of South America, Africa, India and Australia reflect similar climatic conditions but different animals and plants associations.
Sir, this is illustrated by the coat of arms of each countries of the world. Most nations used wild animals in the emblem of their coat of arms which may be the species ofwild animal that is endemic to such countries. For example, in Nigeria, for our coat of arm is eagle whi Ie that of Uganda has the Uganda-crane. National Conservation Foundation (1965) defines wildlife as "all living things: plants, invertebrates and vertebrates outside the direct control of man (that is, all non- cultivated plants and non domesticated animals). It embraces all animals in their natural habitat. They are undomesticated animals which may be small organisms only visible to humans if seen through a microscope or as big as the elephant or whale. Wildlife includes, but not limited to insects, spider, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and mammals if not domesticated. A folayan (1987) defines wildlife as "all forms of wild animals and their environment" while he defined wildlife management as the active manipulation of wild animals and their habitat for the benefit of mankind".
What is Heritage? Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to the future generation. Our culture and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources oflife and inspiration. They are our touchstones, our points of reference, our identity. Therefore, we hold it a duty to protect and preserve these resources for the future generation.
Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, in this lecture, wildlife will be defined simply as (i) "Native plants and animals in their natural environment" or (ii) "Wild terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates and plants (i.e, all 11011- cultivated plants and non-domesticated animals).
4 From the various definitions of wildlife stated above, it means that _all living things (i.e. biological resources) are referred to as wildlife resources. Therefore, the biological resources ofa nation are a mirror of the wildlife resources of that area. The wildlife composition of any nation, determines both the culture and traditional occupation. Onadeko (2004) pointed out the three things at the heart' (mind) of God during creation as (i) Conservation, (ii) Sustainability and (iii) Development. Mr. Vice-Chancellor Sir, let me remind you that the art of conservation of biodiversity resources was as old as the creation of mankind. Genesis 2:8 & 15 "And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed". Verse 15 says that "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it". The above gave the account of the first conservation area established on the earth and Adam was the first Custodian (Conservator General) appointed. God entrusted the biodiversity resource to Adam to manage for his generation and for future generation. In Genesis 2: 16-17, God also gave the first conservation edict to Adam. As a result God's interest in wildlife (biodiversity) resources, He went ahead to establish the first zoological (conservation) garden/game sanctuary and He appointed Father Noah to be the first curator (Gen. 6:13-21). Wildlife is a product ofland like any other agricultural crop. This is an indication that wildlife management is the "mother of agricultural practice". Furthermore in the Biblical era all the notable leaders were shepherds. Abraham, Moses, David e.t.c. In Genesis 10:8-9, the bible describes the founder of Babel and other cities in the land ofShinar as a mighty hunter. In Yorubaland most villages/towns traced their original founders to hunters.
Wildlife resources or biological resources belong to the.renewable natural resources of an area. Agbelusi and Afolayan (1991) defined the natural resources, as "the natural assets (wealth) that God endows a nation with". In this regard, natural resources may be considered as our natural heritage. This heritage includes both the cultural and natural aspects. The basic wealth of a nation then depends on its natural resources. The natural resources constitute a starting point in the dev~lopment of a nation on which other inputs depend. A nation that is endowed with abundance natural resource has a good prospect for economic progress. The natural resources of a nation at any given time may be broadly classified into two groups namely: , (a) Non-renewable or exhaustible resources i.e. abiotic resources (petroleum, gold e.t.c.) (b) Renewable resources which are potentially inexhaustible jf properly managed i.e. biotic resources (plants, animals and water). .-- The non-renewable natural resources exist in finite amount, and cannot be 5 replenished after they have been exploited Such resources are gold, diamond, petroleum e.t.c. Unlike the non-renewable resources, the renewable resources are 'potentially inexhaustible and they replenish themselves if properly managed.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN NIGERIA ' In the 'early 1930s, a number of colonial officers urged the government to conserve wildlife but the proposed policy objectives of conservation differed. Collier (1934) suggested game conservation only if it could provide protein for the masses. Shorthouse (1935) did not consider the immediate need of the masses important in preserving wildlife, since continued indiscriminate and unregulated hunting could result in fewer animals to hunt. According to him the long term survival of wildlife required large reserves with strict rules of protection. With the strict rules on protection alone, very little progress was made on wildlife conservation in the early part ofthis century because the local people continued uncontrolled hunting.
Within the same first half of this century, Haywood (1932) made a survey of the wildlife resources of West Africa. He suggested that Game Reserves be concentrated in the savanna areas of Nigeria, including Borgu/Oyo area in southwestern Nigeria, and the Wase/Mori region of Plateau State. Haywood also suggested the abolition of organized hunting drives, use of strong traps and night hunting. He urged the establishment of game departments to coordinate wildlife development, to enforce game laws and give special consideration to the protection of endangered species such as Chimpanzee, Gorilla, Ostrich, Giraffe, Pygmy Hippopotamus and Chevrotain.
In 1948, the Secretary of the British Fauna Conservation Society came to Nigeria to assess the progress in the wildlife preservation. He stated that one of the important obstacles to game preservation was that the proposed wildlife conservation areas included large areas of people's traditional and ancient hunting grounds, hence the need to involve the public in wildlife conservation. He suggested that, to make the law enforcement effective, the local people should participate in game protection since they are in the best position to convey conservation ideas to their people; that conservation should be limited to specific areas where there would be no Clash with local interests; and that all revenues for hunting licenses and trophies should be used for wildlife conservation.
Early in the second half of is century, Petridges (1962) made a comprehensive survey of the wildlife situation in Nigeria and found a considerably lower population density than in neighboring West African countries. He attributed
6 this to excessive hunting. He recommended the prevention of hunting or capture, of alI species threatened with extinction, a strict limit to the hunting of species whose numbers were low, a ban on night hunting; and a closed season for hunting. He also recommended establishment of more Game Reserves and of a Wildlife Advisory Board with professionally trained ecologists to protect wildlife resources and implement management programmes, research and public education (Petridges, 1965).
PROGRESS OF WILDLIFE DEVELOPMENT Ayeni (1983) summarized the history of wildlife development in Nigeria. According to him rapid progress followed the 1932 London Convention of the Fauna Preservation Society. International Union for Conservation of Nature and natural Resources and other similarly oriented inter-governmental organizations (with some of the people already referred to above) to encourage and support efforts by African states to support wildlife conservation (Howell, 1968; Brown, 1967).
In 1956 the first and for a long time the most developed game reserve in Nigeria (Yankari Game Reserve) was demarcated in the Sudan vegetation zone of the' then Northern region of Nigeria. By 1962, the Yankari Game Reserve had been opened to tourists but the Borgu Game Reserve was not opened until 1970. The number of Games Reserves in the country continued to grow as follows: 1 in 1956,2 in 1962, lOin 1967, and by 1975 it had risen to 36. In 1975, the premier National Park, the Kainji Lake National Park was proposed by the then Federal Military Government. The Park is composed of two portions formerly called the Borgu Game Reserve to the West of the Kainji Lake and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the eastern bank of the River Niger below Kainji Dam site.In 1991, the Federal Military Government established by Decree No. 36 the Chad Basin National Park, the Cross River National Park, the Gashaka-Gumti National Park and the Old Oyo National Park and the Yankari Game Reserve, also metamorphosed into the sixth National Park. And by 2006, the Yankari National park was returned to Bauchi State Government.
It is pertinent to note that only approximately 10% of 923. 768km2 land area of Nigeria is under conservation and out of these land under conservation, Game Reserves and National Parks form about 3%. Although the country is numerically rich in the number of wildlife conservation areas, the level of management in most of the reserves is grossly inadequate (Ayeni, 1983). The wildlife conservation areas suffer through forest logging exploitation, shifting cultivation in the savanna, oil pollution in the coastal areas, soil erosion in the
7 southeastern axis, desertification in the northern-most end, and from the use of fire and indiscriminate killing of wildlife generally. . . ~ OBJECTIVES OF CONSERVATION OF NIGERIA NATURAL RESOURCES The national conservation strategy has stated the following objectives for conserving Nigeria's renewable natural resources: (i) maintain genetic diversity (ii) protect the environment such as the catchment areas, grazing land, hill slopes, mining lands e.t.c. to enhance water resources, check soil erosion, prevent desert encroachment and ensure adequate protection of the wetlands. (iii) regulation and environmental balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen flows, radiation level, the biogeo-chemical and hydrological cycles. (iv) maintain the cultural, economics and scientific values of ecosystems (v) enhance the amenity values of natural resources including aesthetic, heritage, religious, sentimental ethical and recreational values on which tourism may be based (vi) conserve the flora wealth such as fruits, vegetables, edible oils as well as plants or their by-products useful for ornamentals, insecticides and in traditional medicine (vii) protect the vast fauna resources such as fish, reptiles, birds, amphibians, mammals and invertebrates in providing protein to rural communities. The main national wildlife management objectives are: (i) bush meat production to increase national animal protein production and intake. (ii) preservation of national heritage (iii) promotion of recreation and tourism (F.D.F. 1982) Unfortunately several socio-economic factors are militating against the possibility of achieving the set goals. For instance, the habitats of wild animals are being degraded daily due to uncontrolled deforestation for timber and fuel wood, misuse offire, mineral exploitation.
BIO-DIVERSITY ASAKEY RESOURCE FOR DEVELOPMENT There are numerous examples of direct economic benefits arising from the wise use of biodiversity. Within the natural forest, there are many non-timber tree species, herbs and shrubs of major economic importance as producers of food, fodders, fibres, drugs, wild fruits and the commodities in the rural economy. In medicine, the doctor's prescription is made up of 50% of medicine that would
8 have originated from a wild plant and animal species (Cunningham, 1990).
The daily consumption of wild food contributes to overall nutritional well-being. Wild animal and fish are major sources of proteins and fats while wild vegetables, fruits and seed supply essential minerals, vitamins, fats and carbohydrates. A case study of Ondo State by Agbelusi and Afolayan (1987) . revealed that over 75% of the rural communities depend on wild animal species as sources of animal protein and that the Family Rodentiae serves as the main source of protein of the people. The first Vice Chancellor of this great University, late Prof. Idibiye Francis, postulated a theory for longevity as: LONGEVITY = POUNDED YAM + BUSH MEAT. This may also be related to Isaac in the Bible who demanded for wild meat in order to bless Esau. This is so in that the meat of wild animal has been proven to be more nutritive and medicinal, with low fat content compared with domestic animals and it is usually recommended for elderly people. Biodiversity also serves as a source of energy and building materials for rural community. According to the convention on biodiversity, the developing countries have always had wealth, which once again seems to elude them: gene in its natural state. Some see in these resources the oil, gold and diamond of tomorrow, an appreciable source of income but it's depot are by definition alive and vulnerable as opposed to those of the above-mentioned inert materials.
THE ROLE OF WILDLIFE IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The role of wildlife in the socio-economic development of Nigeria is underscored by the little emphasis the government had placed on wildlife development in the past. The wildlife sector is important for both economic and ecological reasons as it continues to be the major source of animal protein to the rural community (Agbelusi and Afolayan, 1987). Ajayi (1974) estimated that' wildlife contributes between 85-90% to the animal protein intake for the rural dwellers.
The ever soaring price of livestock feeds and the unfavourable climatic conditions which have hampered the increase in livestock production has affected the conventional animal protein intake of most families in Nigeria. The rapid growth of human population together with thej ising standard of Iiving has also placed great pressure on existing sources of animal protein. The alternati \l' fresh fish or frozen fish to which the people have shifted, has also become expensive and therefore not affordable by most people.
9 In most developing nations today, there is a growing recognition that wildlife farming is one of the methods that could be adopted to utilize wildlife resources for the benefit of mankind (FAO, 1984). The rural communities are now being encouraged to embark on backyard farming of fast, maturing small mammals which are socially acceptable. This is aimed at increasing the animal protein intake ofpeople in rural communities and also to provide a significant source of additional income to subsistence farmers.
The choice of such wild animals (suitable for farming) which could be acceptable as an alternative source of animal protein would require a detailed knowledge of the behaviour, biology and ecology of the animal, such as the rate of reproduction, resistance to disease, behaviour under captivity, hardiness and social acceptance of such species in the society. Leuner and Donald (1966) reported that in utilizing some of the untapped natural resources such as wildlife for meat production, one should consider in addition to the aforementioned factors the culture and religious background of the human society, taboos against consumption, availability and attractiveness of the species.
PROBLEMS OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES CONSERVATION IN NIGERIA Mr. Vice-Chancellor Sir, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, who knows the end from the beginning asked a great question that I have not been able to come across anybody, either the Apostles of the old or the present ones to give answer. The question is "When I come back again, would I find faith on earth?" Luke 18:8. I would like to ask a similar question in respect of the biodiversity resources or wildlife resources from the fellow environmentalist or conservationist that "Will the generation coming behind us be able to see any of these natural renewable heritage (wild plants and animals) in their natural environment?" 01' will they just be seeing them on the pages of textbooks, films and pictures. Your guess is as good as mine, when one considers the myriad of problems that face wildlife conservation today, wildlife resources being one of the biological resources faced with the problem of ownership. In Nigeria today, it is very difficult to know who owns the renewable natural resources. Is it Local, State or Federal government?
Nigeria, like other African countries, is locked in a treadmill of environmental destruction, fueled by geometrically progression type of runaway population growth, political instability and increasing poverty. At each point of the cycle, species is lost and biological diversity becomes increasingly depleted. These are further compounded by governments vesting the responsibilities of managing
10 biodiversity in the hands of people who are biologically and conservationally uninformed.
The natural forests which house the biodiversity resources are fast diminishing and they may be exhausted by the end of five decades if care is not taken. The rate . of disappearance of rainforest is attributed to negative impact of man's activities in the ecosystem. Such activities include increase in human production, shifting cultivation, firewood collection, misuse of fire, urbanization, mining, negative attitude to conservation by elites, non-involvement of local people in all the government conservation programme, illegal logging, dereservation and conversion of natural forest reserve to plantations.
In Nigeria, Okali (1988) reported that the rain forest ecosystem is disappearing at an estimated rate of over 250km2 a year and that this rate may increase to 1250km2 in later years. World Bank (1992) and Okali (1988) concluded that if this rate of' deforestation 3.48 and 3.57% are maintained, the entire remaining rain forest of Nigeria would disappear in the next three decades which is less than 10 years away. As for this prediction, it will likely come true judging by what is happening in the field. Thus extinction of rainforest ecosystem is imminent with great loss of gene pools. It is time for us to act in order to prevent the biodiversity of our forests from going into extinction.
The uncontrolled timber exploitation, agricultural and urbanization are the major factors responsible for the rapid death of forest gene pool in Nigeria. These tripartite evils account for a large proportion of the progressive depletion and destruction of the forest estate. The destruction of the natural forest is now apparent that there is widespread concern for conservation of these resources. With the intensive and extensive deforestation and disappearance of the natural forest of Nigeria, there is a bleak future for the fauna resources of the rainforest ecosystem, because change in flora species diversity and complexity has a direct effect on the fauna composition (Agbelusi, 1996). The destruction of the rain forest ecosystem would not only affect the variety of timber species but also forest products such as wild fruits, leaves, medicinal plants and forest fauna. Th is over exploitation of Nigeria Rainforest, which contain a majority of the world's species of plants and animals are disappearing rapidly. Many unique species are being lost, which could be of future benefit to man. Not only are we losing valuable economic, scientific and aesthetic resources when we destroy rainforest or other ecosystem but we are threatening our future well- being.
11 Political leaders and development economists are much more interested in recognizable concern such as timber revenue and they view the forest as easily available revenue for other development projects. They take very little or no cognizance of the economic, biological and environmental services provided by the forest. There is also the urge to buy political popularity by prl~surizing State forest service officials to allocate forest areas for exploitation or cultivation of farm in excess of what could be regenerated with their meagre funds. In other cases, timber contractors are allowed to exploit more trees than the number stipulated on their permit. Illegal exploitation of timber contributes to the· depletion and destruction of forest genetic resources. In some cases, several areas of gazetted forest reserve are converted into grazing reserves. Overgrazing by livestock has resulted in the elimination of native plant species in many parts of the world.
Industrialization, urbanization and road building involves total removal of vegetation , the consequence of which include, flooding and soil erosion, depletion of the biodiversity of the area. In many oil producing areas, mangrove trees wither and die following oil spillage which destroys plant food and the biodiversity in such environment. Indiscriminate burning of natural vegetation could lead to depletion and destruction of biodiversity.
Other Problems of conservation of natural resources in Nigeria are: • Poor policy and legal instruments: It is perhaps, in the field offorestry during the colonial days, that the system of forest reservation was established. Unfortunately, there has not been any similar well-articulated conservation- minded policy or programme worthy of note for any other natural resource in Nigeria. Conservation has been approached in an uncoordinated piece- meal fashion. The ad hoc nature of conservation in Nigeria is evident in the existence of a large number of disparate legislations and policy documents directed at individual environmental or resource issues or problems. • Weak data base: Inadequate data bases remain a major constraint to policy formulation, project planning and implementation in natural resources conservation in Nigeria. The lack of any systematic inventory of Nigeria's natural resources is responsible for the dearth of detailed technical data that could be used to plan the management and rational utilization of the resources. Funding for research and data gathering projects has remained very low. There does not appear to be a sufficient appreciation of the fact that the establishment of a firm data base for planning purposes requires substantia! financial investments.
12 • Law enforcement: Apart from the inadequacy of the policy and legal instruments guiding the use and management ofN igeria's natural resources, the enforcement of existing rules and regulations has been very problematic. Laws against poaching of wild game and bush burning and regulations guiding timber felling, fishing and reclamation of mine lands, to name a few, are wantonly disregarded. • Institutional Problems: There is hardly any resource that has a well- integrated management organizational structure from the Federal down to the local level. Even at government level, it is not uncommon to have different departments and units overseeing different aspects of the same resource and without any avenue for the coordination of programmes and actions.
Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, it is pertinent to note that the natural heritage of our Landlord where this great Institution resides is no more. One of the lyrics ("oriki") of Akure is "Akure orno oloye mekun" meaning that "EKUN" Leopard (Paternal pardus) was once common in this environment (Pridge, 1965) but now we can see Omo Oloye but the Ekun is no more. Sir, I appeal through this medium to the honourable sons and daughters of Akure through the Akure/FUTA community forum that is chaired by our highly reverred Papa Dr. Reuben Fasoranti to construct and maintain a leopard paddock in the FUTA Wildlife Park so that our children may once again see and observe the Ekun if not in its natural environment but in a paddock. This Project could be sponsored by Akure City Millenium Project in recognition of the importance of EKUN in Akure Kingdom.
CONSERVATION STRATEGIES It is noted with regret that most Nigeria's natural heritage in form of medicinal plants, food plants, wild animals and potential raw materials for agro-based industries have been exterminated due to lack of a sound policy for the conservation of these natural resources. Hitherto the issue of conservation remained largely uncoordinated until recently when the Natural Resources Conservation Council was established by the Federal Government to coordinate all the policies, strategies and objectives for the conservation of the country's natural resources. (Afolayan and Agbelusi, 1991)
The major natural renewable resources upon which the human existence depends are land, water, soil, flora and fauna such as wiltilife, .fish. domestic an imals and numerous other macro fauna and flora on lands, inso:ils and in water. Regrettably, the country's natural resources have suffered serious depletion and
13 decimation since the past two decades largelydue to unplanned human growth. Poorly planned road, housing and industrial constructions, in addition to the above, we experience indiscriminate exploitation of wood for timber, fuel and other domestic purposes; over exploitation of wildlife resources, mining, oil exploitation, effluent and industrial pollution, negative attitudes to conservation by the so called elites, and non-involvement of the local (grassroots) population in all the government conservation programmes.
Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, the negative impacts of man listed above have generated a lot of negative responses from the environment, since actions and reactions are always equal and opposite", with the result that our various ecosystems in the country continue to be more and more fragile daily. Erosion in the south and desertification in the North begin to bite harder and harder on the environment. Rainforest is probably the most seriously hit in the south. Plant and animal species become extinct daily. The Nigerian Conservation Foundation(l996) once asserted that for every minute of our lives in this country over 20 ha of rainforest are destroyed, and if this devastation goes on at this rate by the year 2000 most of the forest areas remaining now will have. been be a wasteland. We are lucky the prediction did not come to pass. However, it is needless to say that most of our natural heritage in forms of medicinal plants, food plants and wild animals has been completely exterm inated. For instance, the last rhino in Nigeria was killed in 1948 (Ajayi Pers. Com). Similarly, giant eland which is common in our neighbouring Cameroon is extinct in Nigeria. The Giraffe is seriously threatened with cxtincriou Drs Gbile and Okaforhave alerted the nation of the sudden disappearance "I important plant species which are very useful as raw materials for trad it i\ .n.il mcdicine and food.
The five layered tree profile in typical primary rainforest has disappeared, and the old generations including expatriates like Professor Richards and Dr. Hopkins could still imagine how beautiful, magnificent and majestic the rainforest used to be in physiognomy and structure. Unfortunately Nigerian children who are the custodians of rainforest cannot comprehend how flourishing and attractive it was in those good old days (Afolayan, 2008).
It has also been well established that only 9.8% of Nigeria's land area is under conservation out of which game reserves and natural parks form about 3%. Most of the areas under conservation have bee;1 extensively encroached upon by other land users. It is perhaps in the field of forestry that Nigeria has made the most notable efforts at conservation. From its early stages Colonial forest policy had the conservation ofland and resources as major objectives. The forest policy was also very clear ab-initio that the goal of forestry is not to keep large area of land 14 unutilized but rather to use and develop land resources under reservation ill ' rational manner to maintain their sustained yield. Unfortunately there ha-, I, been any similar well articulated policy for other renewable natural resources.
INTERACTION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WILD RESOURCES One of the important issues pertaining to quality oflife in rural Africa is hcu lth care. Many rural people believed that traditional medicine are better than modern medicines. It should come as no surprise that so many plant species used traditionally for medicine in Africa have been found to be effective. Table 1 shows some of the plant species utilized by the communities available.
The importance of wild resource to local economy in terms of cash income derived from the collection and exchange or sale of wild products is of great value to rural people. It may represent a large proportion of total household income especially where farming is only marginal (I.U .C.N 1995). Studies on the ethnobotany ofKainji Lake National Park (Table 1) revealed the roles that plants play in the health of our people. About 22 plants commonly used within the supporting zone of the Park are used for healing various diseases.
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15 Table 1: Medicinal Plants of Kainji Lake National Park
Botanical name Family Type of Part of Preparation How it is Threat ailment cure plant administere status used d Piliosttgma Caesapiniodea Backache, Leave The leave and By bathing Abundant thonningn e dysentery, and root is boiled and drinking cough and root alongside with the pile ginger and decoction. alligator pepper. The person with pile will sit inside the decoction. Annona Annonaceae Wound Young Young shoots Juice from Abundant senegalensis shoots and leaves are young shoots squeezed and applied to the juice affected area. applied to I affected area Burkea africana I Caesapiniodea Stomach Leave The bark and By bathing Threatene ,e ache, body and leave is boiled with the d. weakness root or the bark may decoction. and joint be soaked in Infusion of pain water the soaked bark is drunk. Kachi Rubiaceae Stomach Fruit The fruit is The (Hausa) disorder bark grinded and concoction is mixed with used to potash. The revive a bark is cooked dying animal with potash. (by drinking the decoction. Brideliu Euphorbiaceae Dysentery, Root The root is Alligator Frequent [erruginra I worm, cough stern boiled. The pepper is slJ'm is chewed. inserted in I the stem and I I chewed. -~ Kiya Legumiaceae ~nia Root The root is Mix with pap (Hausa) dried with other and dnnk. plant spp and grind into powdery form. Vnellarta Sapotaceae Dislocation, Seed The seed The cream is Frequent paradoxa body pain, and processed into used to stomach ache bark. cream and used massage and tomassage the affected area dysentery. affected area. by drinking The bark is the cooked as concoction. concoction. Combretum I Com bretaceae Rheumatism Root The root is Applied on Frequent nigrican grind and add affected area with uotash ; Maytcnus Combretaceae Toothache Root I The root and The water IS Frequent senegalensts leave leave are used to wash I I uooked together mouth both I I I morning and , I i I night I
16 Terminalia Combretaceae Cough Bark The bark is By drinking R~ ,lr"Il'~ macroptera dried and grind the mixed dismbuuo and mixed with water. n. water. Detorium Caesalpiniodea Dysentery Bark, The bark and By bathing Thrcutcnc macrocarpun e and joint root root are cooked with the root d. pain leaf together. The by drinking leaf is cooked the water. alongside other plants. Khaya Meliaceae Pile and Bark The bark is By drinking Restricted senegalensis stomach ache pound and the water distributio soaked in water n. Daniella oliveri Caesalpiniodea Dysentery Bark Bark is soaked By drinking Threatene e in water. d Sterculia Stercul iaceae To increase Bark The bark is By drinking Frequent setigera blood in the cooked the water and body chewing the stem. Tamarindus Caesalpiniodea To ease Bark The fruit is By drinking Restricted indica e digestion and soaked in water the water distributio root to dissolve n leaf Nauclea Rubiaceae Waist pain Bark The root is The Frequent latifolia and back prepared with decoction is pain water by boiling used to bathe and to drink. Vi/ex doniana Verbenaceae Stomach Bark The leaves and By drinking Restricted ache bark is cooked the distributio together. decoction. n. Parkia Mimosoideae Yellow fever Leaf The root is By drinking Frequent. biglobosa stem cooked the water. alongside with potash. Acacia seyal Mimosoideae Toothache Bark The bark is By drinking Threatene and body cooked d pain Entada africana Mimosoideae Gonorrheal, Fruit The root is By drinking Threatene pile and cooked alone d worm Kigelia africana Bignoniaceae To reduce Root The root, bark By drinking Restricted high blood and leaf and fruit peeled the distributio pressure and and cooked. concoction n. for stomach ache, yellow fever. Anogeissus Combretaceae Stomach Bark The bark is By drinking Abundant leiocarpus ache and dried and grind, worm. then boiled.
Source: Field Survey, 2006.
17 Source of energy and building material In Nigeria and other parts of Africa where electricity is not provided in the rural areas, the demand for wood for fuel is high. Wood provides over 90% of domestic energy. Wild species and their products are used in a variety of ways both for subsistence and commerce. Various wild plants including flowers, grasses, fruit, leaves, barks and roots, as well as animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) are a source of f009. Even in those economics where wild resources are only of secondary dietary importance, they provide a vital part of the diet or make up for seasonal deficiency in the supply of cultivated products. Generally, wild sources of food play an important role as a buffer against drought and famine.
Plants also provide medicine, fibre, fuel, building materials and food for the livestock. Wild animals' product such as meat, skins, furs, bone, ivory as well as hunting and tourist rights are sold for cash. Wildlife utilization extends far beyond the use of big game animals. Most of the game meat eaten on the content is derived from small antelopes, insects such as locusts, grasshopper, caterpillar and termites. Bees also play an important role 'inproviding the protein in the diet of rural people as well as delicacies of honey. Wild animals and plants are regularly used in such a variety of ways that, in some instances, loss of access to them would result in a complete collapse of the traditional rural economy. The local people in Cross River State came to find solution to HIV /AIDS through the plant called Anceistocladius korupensis which has the potential of curing the disease.
HISTORY OF DOMESTICATION The act of domestication started in the Mediterranean region (Kay, 1987). Most of our conventional farm animals today originated from this region and they were domesticated during the Neolithic revolution. The first ungulate species to be domesticated were sheep and goat, the earliest known site was at Shannidar in northern Iraq around 9000BC (Clutton-Brock, 1981). The pig was the next animal to be domesticated. By 6500BC there is evidence of domesticated pigs from place as scattered as Sarmo in north-eastern Iraq, Jericho in Jordan and several sites in southern Greece (Clutton-Brock, 1981). By 6000BC the first signs of cattle domestication began to appear in Greece and southern Turkey notably at a town called Catal Hryuk (Melleant, 1967). By 6000BC the big 4 domestic species namely sheep, goat, pigs and cattle had all become domesticated. It all happened in the 'Fertile Crescent' the area from eastern Mediterranean to Near East which was the cradle of modern civilization (Kyle, 1987).
18 Africa has remarkable varieties of large wild herbivores, yet not one was domesticated during the development of traditional farming. Africa is endowed with the greatest numbers and varieties of ungulates found in any continent but contributes the least of domesticated stock. Apart from African Ass (Equinus spp.) which is a native of Africa and the African wild cat, no other species has been fully domesticated among the mammals in Africa. It is surprising that none of the many African ungulates (which are about 90 different species) has been put to use in any notable way. According to Ajayi (1983) birds have also been neglected. The ostrich and the Guinea fowl are the only African contribution to man's stock of domesticated birds.
Recent studies have shown that many of the numerous animals that live on the" plains of Africa can be tamed Kyle (1987) and they would make better farm animals than many of the species now tamed. Wild animals are generally superior to livestock in terms of biomass productivity, live weight utilization of native plants, resistance to parasites and disease. Given the potential for bush meat production alongside livestock, it is important to develop systems and technologies to improve integration and increase meat production. Therefore, there is a need to pull together information on the integration of wild animals and other agricultural crops and evaluate the socio-economic reforms.
Time has come to re-examine the animal resources of the continent in a new dimension. Africa is no longer populated sparsely and where one cannot modify the natural environment to suit the requirements of conventional farm animals, it may be better to try to exploit the productivity of native animals. The importance of ranching grasscutter for human consumption in the forested areas of Nigeria will be illustrated in this lecture and an efforts should be made to establish a pilot centre for multidisciplinary research into the integration of this animal into the main stream of our domestic animals. These animals are worthy of being considered for use in husbandry in the humid forest, especially where poor grazing and harsh environments limit the performance of conventional livestock. Ranching of grasscutter as backyard wildlife (mini livestock) would therefore improve the lot of peasant farmers, provide an alternative source of animal protein to both rural and city dwellers, create job opportunities to rural dwellers' and involve the local people in wildlife utilization.
As a Professor of Wildlife Management, I shall now devote a substantial part of the rest of this lecture to my personal contributions to this natural heritage conservation in terms of research and manpower development during the past 22 years since I was appointed by this University.
19 My contributions to Wildlife Conservation in terms of research extend to three distinct areas. These are Wildlife Utilization, Wildlife Domestication and Wildlife Ecology. The principal objective of our studies on wildlife utilization was to assess the socio-economic importance of wildlife in the national economy. One major importance of wildlife derives from the fact that this resource represents the principal source of animal protein for the rural majority in most African countries (Ajayi, 1979). In Ondo State the wildlife resource account for over 60% of the total animal protein consumed by people in the rural area (Agbelusi and Afolayan, 1987). Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, I wish to inform you that I have been involved in almost all the wild animals domestication programmes in Nigeria. My senior colleagues and I have worked on wildlife domestication and ranching of: (i) The African Giant Rat tCricetomy ganibianus), University of Ibadan, Ibadan. (ii) Senegal Kob (Kobus kob kob) Kainji Lake Research Institute, New Bussa. (iii) Grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianusi University of Ibadan and Federal University of Technology, Akure. (iv) Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) Federal University of Technology, Akure. (v) Giant land snail (Archachatina marginatai University of Ibadan and Federal University of Technology, Akure.
Of all these species, grasscutter (cutting grass) has received the greatest attention.
The economic importance of wildlife goes beyond the provision of animal protein. Nigeria and many African countries derived substantial revenue from export of live wild animals and wild animal products. It was estimated that wildlife contribute about 4% to gross domestic product of Nigeria in 1966 (Ajayi, 1972).
The importance of wildlife also touched not only on our culture but extend to traditional medicine. Agbelusi and Ejidike (1991) highlighted the diverse ways the giant land snail A. maginata features in traditional medicine for both as preventive and curative (Table 2).
20 Table 2: Utilization of Giant land snail (A. marginata) medicine and witchcraft
Animal species Part of the body Medicinal uses used I. The African giant land Whole body (i) An ingredient in traditional fertility snail Archachatina drug for women. marginata (ii) Mixed with other ingredient for preparing concoction for curing convulsion in children. (iii) An ingredient in traditional drug for easy delivery in pregnant woman. (iv) One of the ingredient used in preparing talisman for protection. Shell (i) An ingredient in traditional drug l~'. '\. for curing dysentery. (ii) An ingredient in traditional medicine for curing stomach ache. Fluid (i) Mixed with other ingredient for curing malaria and headache. (ii) Mixed with other ingredient in traditional medicine for curing new wound and aiding blood clotting in new baby's circumcision. Source: Adapted from Agbelusi and Ejidike, 1991
My research focus on the giant land snail iArchachatina marginata) farming was to find out those factors that bring about better meat farming yield in this animal. The product/eggs incubation period and hatchability success using different medium of incubation revealed that too much or too little moisture content in the incubation medium may either prolong the incubation period or prevent hatching. It was found that there was an inverse relationship between moisture content of incubation medium and the numbers of undeveloped eggs (1'2 0.77), while there was direct relationship between temperature °C and numbers of undeveloped eggs (r = +0.92) incubation period ranges between 32 to 42 days in damped medium while it was between 23 to 30 days in the moist medium (Agbelusi and Adeparusi, 1999). The soil (medium) with optimum moisture content was recommended for prospective snail farmers to ensure good yield.
The effect of eggs buried at various depths in the incubation chamber was also investigated. The result also showed that there was an inverse relationship between depths and hatching success (r = -0.89). Eggs that were buried beyond 2.5cm to the surface of the incubation medium have less percentage of hatching success while those less than 2.5cm may not developed (Agbelusi and Adeosun, 2001).
21 .' Artificial hatching of African giant snail CA.marginata) eggs was investigated. Our results revealed that 16 days after laying of eggs, the mini snail has been formed but cannot survive. Our results shows that eggs incubated after 20 days have 50% survival rate while those hatched after 22 days have better changes of survival (Table 3.Agbelusi and Kayode, 2008). For large scale farming, we recommended that the farmer may hatch the eggs of snail after 22 days for better results. Table 4 revealed the changes that take place in giant land snail development between 16th and 32nd days.
Table 3: Growth rate of artificial hatchlings Incubation days 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 34 Initial weight 1.05 2.00 2.20 2.40 2.12 2.50 2.28 2.73 3.90 Final weight 1.03 1.95 2.51 3.64 2.73 3.50 2.64 4.30 5.73 Weight gain ·0.02 ·0.05 0.31 1.24 0.61 1.00 0.36 1.57 1.83 Growth rate ·0.004a ·0.003a 0.02b 0.08de 0.04bc 0.07cd 0.02d 0.10de 0.12e Source: Agbelusi and Kayode (2008)
Means not followed by the same superscript are significantly different (P<0.05)
22 Table 4: Colour changes in Giant Snail hatchlings .. lncuba- Colour Observatron days non changes , days 1 2 :; 4 5 16 !-lea -root L I tve ow l.jg ht ye ow . She LI tve ow l.jg lt ve ow '. l~ Heal -toot L t t ve ow Ltg it ve ow Light yellow Grev Grey She LI t ye ow Light ye ow Light yellow I whorls I whorls light yellow, I ightlY.ellow, last whorl last Whorls light brown light brown LU Head-toot L iznt venow uam vettow Grev Grev Dove zrev Shell Light yellow Ist 4 whorls I 4 whorls 1 .:; whorls I" 3 whorls light yellow, light yellow, li~ht yellow, li~ht yellow, last 2 whorls last 2 whorls 4 light 4 light light brown light brown brown last 2 brown last 2 brown brown 22 Head-toot Grev Grev Dove grey Dove grey Dove grey Shell I" 3 whorls I" 3 whorls I" 3 whorls I" J whorls I" 2 whorls li~ht yellow, li~ht yellow, li~ht yellow, li~ht yellow. lilaht yellow, 4 I~ht brown 4 light 4 light 4 light 3 brown last brown brown last 2 brown last 2 brown last 2 .others dark brown, brown brown brown 24 Head-toot Grey Dove grey Dove grey Dove grey Black with white dots Shell 1'- 2 whorls I" 2 whorls I' 2 whorls I '2 whorls I- whorls li~htyellow, liffht brown, brown, brown, brown, ot ers light ot ier brown others dark others dark others dark brown brown brown brown 26 Head-toot Grey Dove grey Dove grey Black With Black With white dots white dots Shell I" 2 whorls I" 2 whorls I' -2 whorls I' wnotl Black li~htyellow, linht brown, brown, brown. ot ers light ot iers others dark , >111..:darsrk brown brown brown brown 28 Head-toot Dove grey Dove grey Hlack With . Black With Black ~lite dots white dots Shell t.. L whorls r 2 whorls I' -2 whorls I" whorl Dark brown li~htyellow, liffht brown, li~t brown, brown, ot ers light ot iers ot ers others dark brown brown brown brown JU Head-toot Black with Hlack With Black With Black With 13lack- white dots white dots white dots white dots Shell I' whorl light I. whorl r whorl Dark brown Coffee brown, others li~ht brown, brO\\11, brown brown ot ers others dark brown brown 34 Head-toot Black With Hlack With Black With Black Black white dots white dots white dots Shell r whorl Dark brown COHee Coffee Corree brown, others brown brown brown dark brown
Source: Agbelusi and Kayode (2008)
23 Plate A PlateB Backyard rearing of snail using old Backyard rearing of snail using vehicle tyres method old vehicle tyres method
Plate D PlateC Plates C and D are outdoor rearing of snail at the backyard
,.., ...•..~,...•. ~ ..
'k r' Plate E Backyard cage system of snail rearing 24 RANCHING THE GRASSCUTTER Thryonomys swinderianus FOR MEAT PRODUCTION IN THE HUMID FOREST ZONE OF NIGERIA In Africa the people are faced with many problems. Among them is the restricted amount of animal protein intake in their diet (Olaide, 1973). The production of animal protein from livestock has not been inadequate to meet the demand in developing countries (Kay, 1987). There are indications that protein production from conventional source may be further reduced in the future; due to production problems associated with erratic and short supply of necessary inputs, particularly animal feeds and various ecological factors, all of which impose serious constraints on effective management of the livestock industry (Ajayi, 1971). While this crisis situation requires broad and fundamental rethinking about; policy as well as improved productivity of the conventional protein sources such as domestic livestock, an area where efforts may be rewarded with success concerns the contribution from wildlife species. Ajayi and Tewe (1980) showed that about half of the shortfall in the protein intake in Nigeria, could be met by revitalizing wild animal species like snails, rodent and bushfowls. F.A.O. (1970) and Crawford (1964) long ago predicted that 2000AD meat production will however be increased by six times its 1964 level in order to feed the growing . human population and it also looked into the possibility of using wildlife to supplement the demand for protein. The prediction was not realized.
There is increased awareness ofthe role that domesticating wildlife can play in alleviating world hunger, particularly in developing countries like ours. The basic technology required for wildlife products must be developed and made available to the farmer. The integration of suitable domestication of wild animal into agricultural system of the rural communities aims at improving rural standard of living by strengthening their entire production system. It would provide an alternative source of animal protein to both rural and urban dwellers. It will create job opportunities to rural dwellers and subsequently ·provide a significant source of additional income to subsistent farmers.
In order to solve the problems of malnutrition among low income earners, there must be a programme developed for commercial production of "bush meat" for ranching. This programme will reduce the pressure of harvesting of wild animal. It will also prevent the wanton destruction of wild animals in game reserve/national park.
It is believed that without utilization, conservation is deemed to fail. Ajayi (1979) commented that any wildlife policy that does not include bushmeat production is not likely to enjoy wide support in a country like Nigeria. Therefore,
25 conservation and management of backyard animals like grasscutter, giant rat, snail, Nile rat, frogs and guinea fowl could improve the livelihood of rural dwellers without contributing to decline in wildlife population. The choice of such wild animal species as an alternative source of animal protein requires a detailed knowledge of their ecology, reproduction and resistance to disease as well as social acceptance of such species in the society. Leuner and Donald ( 1966) reported that in utilizing some of the untapped natural resources such as wild animal for meat production, one should also consider the culture and religious background of the society and also taboos against eating such species. This lecture presents some information on the ranching of grasscutter as a backyard farm animal and merit of domesticating wild animal potential of grasscutter for backyard farming.
The management of grasscutter under ranching offers a new prospect for making a significant contribution to meet the protein requirement in our diet (Agbelusi, 1992). It is the second largest rodent that is endem ic to Africa and commands a high market values. Adult animal may be sold for US $15 20. It grows to considerable weight with mature male weighing 1Okgwhile female may attain 5 to 7kg (Agbelusi, Kyle, 1987). The grasscutter is a generalist herbivore (Agbelusi, 1992, Kingdom, 1967) an indication that it can be easy to feed. Over 30 different plants species are utilized as food in the wild (Table 5). Afolayan and Anadu (1980) reported that they can be raised to maturity, entirely on elephant grass Pennisetum purpureum. They hardly drink and obtain their water requirement from high moisture content food they feed on (Agbelusi, 1992; Amubode and Oduro, 1988). Previous studies have revealed thatthe animal does not favour commercial feeds and that it thrives well on grasses. Thus supplementary feeding would not be necessary.
Grasscutters, like rabbits, have relatively large litter sizes and their young are better developed than those or rabbit at birth. They, breed successfully in captivity and may reproduce twice a year. The litter size typically varies from 2 to 6 with an average of 4 (Agbelusi 1992, Baptist 'and Merisah 1986, Ajayi 1974). Though a record of nine young was reported by Asibey (1974 and Onynash 2009. Table 6 compares the gestation period of grasscutter with other small mammals. The prolonged gestation in this species is offset by the well developed young at birth. The young grasscutter are precocial with their eyes open, run around after their mother immediately after birth. They feed on solid food few days after birth and less vulnerable to predator.
The nutritional value of meat from grasscutter and other rodents is at least as good as other types of meat (Kyle, 1987). More people relish the meat of
26 grasscutter than other wild animals. The socio-economic aspects of ranching grasscutter carried out by Agbelusi and Afolayan (1996) revealed that there is no taboo or religious belief against consuming grasscutter meat. In the case of rabbit, there was no taboo or religious belief against its consumption, but over 40% of the respondents did not like its taste. Over 50% of the respondents have a taboo or religious or cultural belief against the consumption of giant rat, while over 95% of the people interviewed would like to rear grasscutter if appropriate' technique is available (Agbelusi and Afolayan, 1987).
METHODS OF REARING GRASSCUTTER There are two approaches to rearing grasscutter. Paddock System In the open range system, an outdoor enclosure is made either of brick or expanded metal of(3 x 5 x 2)m. Since grasscutter do not borrow, the floor will not be cemented. The height of such enclosure should be 2m and curve the top inwards. Inside the enclosure, the desirable food items of the animal within the locality should be planted. A feeding point should be established where supplementary food may be provided within the paddock.
At the corner of each paddock an artificial cage constructed from brick/wooden material (0.02 x 0.02 x 0.02)m for nesting box should be provided for the animal to sleep. Bedding in the sleeping box should be charge regularly with dry grasses. As grasscutter are entirely terrestrial, they require a reasonable amount of floor space. The animal breeds freely under this condition. For space 3 x 5 X 2m enclosure, the stocking rate should be one male to four females (lm:4f).
In Benin Republic, the enclosure is constructed entirely with bamboo and palm' fronds. Adaptation of such technology can also be transferred to other local communities in Nigeria.
Caging System It should be borne in mind that, the animal is endowed with powerful teeth and can even cut wire, so complete wooden cages is not suitable for rearing this animal. The types of cages to be constructed will depend on the purpose of rearing the animal.
Under captive rearing, a daily clearing of the pen is essential. The animal does not feed on left over food; hence it is necessary that the forage be given fresh. It cannot withstand starvation for a long period, so it should be fed ad libitum to ensure that food is available to the animal at all times.
27 Table 5: Some of Plants part of utilized by Grasscutter in the wild and the level of utilization. Plant species Par Plainthe Level of Season Plants utilization status Pennisetum purpureum Stem XXX D&W Grass Pennisetum pedice/latum Stem XXX D&W Grass Andwopogon gayanus Stem XXX D&W Grass Andropoyan tectorum Stem XXX D&W Grass Passpalum vaginatum Stem XXX D&W Grass Panicum maximum Stem XX D&W Grass Sporobolus pyramidalis Stem X D&W Grass Echinochloa stegnina Stem XX D&W Grass Hyparrhenia dissolutax Stem XX D&W Grass Cyperus alopecuroides Stem & root X D Sedges Amaranthus spinosus Stem XX D Forb Aspilia africana Stem X D&W Forb Sorghum indicaeum Stem XXX D&W Grass Imperata cylindrical Root X D Grass Elias guinensis Fruit X D Grass Borassus aethiopium Fruit XXX D Palm Rice (Oryza sativa) Stem XXX D Palm Maize (Zea mays) Stems & cub XXX W Cultivate crop Guinea com Stem XXX W Sugarcane (Ssaccharum sp) Stem XXX D&W Cassava [Manihot esculenta) Tuber & stem XXX D&W Cocoyam (Xanthomonas sp) Tuber X D Bitter yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) Tuber XXX D Bamboo Shoot XXX D&W Grass Groundnuts (Arachis hypogera) Pod X W Cultivate crop Potatoes (Inpimoea batatas) Tuber XX D Pineapple (Ananas cosmosus) Fruit & stem X D Pterocarpus erinaceous Root X D&W Shrub/tree Eupatorum racemosum eodoratum Root X D Shrub/tree Source: (Agbelusi2000)
Key: XXX = Preferred species XX = Medium utilized X = Slightly utilized D = Dry season W = Wet season
28 Table 6: A comparrson.of reproductive performance of grasscutter and some small laboratory mammals.
Species Grasscutler Grasscutter Giant rat Domestic Guinea pie Albino rat House rat Thyronomus /. swinderlanus Cricetomys rabbit Lavia 'p. Rall"s Musmusculw swinderianus gambian"s O. cuniculus mon>eginus Reference Agbelusi Mensah and Ajayi 1974 Y.FAW. Rosewell 1968 Rosewell 1968 ' Rosewell 1968 1992 Baptist (1968) 1972& Rosewell 1968 Ave. adult wt. male (g) 3800 - 6500 4500 -7000 917-1033 1302 - 2732 850 -900 250 -300 25 - 40 female breeding 30 - 40 32 - 48 20-24 24 - 36 1.2- 2.0 28 28~ age (wk) Gestation range 150-170 152-157 28 -35 30-35 57 - 67 20-22 17 - 21 (days) Weaning age 48-60 48 - 60 28 42 - 56 10 21 16-21 (days) Litter size 2-8 2-9 1-5 2-10 1-6 8-12 1-23 Birth wt (g) 75 - 188 70 - 200 14 36 30-70 10 5-6 1-2 Source: Agbelus (1992)
Plate G Plate H Elevated box-cages method of Metal box method of Grasscutter Grasscutter fanning farming 29 '\
Plate I Plate J Concrete method of Backyard Iron rod method of Backyard Grasscutter Grasscutter farming fanning
Plate K Set of Box-cages which can be used for Grasscutter farming at the backyard PlateL An adult Grasscutter feeding on Elephant grass
Plate M Pair of adult male and female .grasscutter in the mating pen PlateN A day old newly littered grasscutter
. " , I."" 30
, .. Plate 0 PlateP A day-old set of day-old littered Newly littered young ones and the by the same mother mother being tested for docility
- - ~
Plate Q A mother and the young ones showing the inside partitioning 'of the cage
Plate F to Q showing different types of Cages constructed for rearing Grasscutter Another wild animals which I have attempted to ranch is Senegal kob (Kobus kob . kob) (Egbin Yoruba). My studies revealed that kob is a gregarion animal that formed large herds (up to 40 individuals) which is one of the criteria for animal to be ranched. Kob are primarily a grazer but my studies revealed that during the critical period of the year (dry season), they browse on some woody plants (Agbelusi, 1986, 1987).
31 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN NIG ERIA Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, the course of my research career and consultancy services for governments and organizations on the management of wildlife resources dated back to 1978 when I was in the team that carried Ecological Survey of Ahuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (Ajayi et al 1978). I also participated in an ecological survey ofKwambana Game Reserve, Sokoto State in 1979 (Ajayi et aI, 1979). I was also in the team that wrote the first management plan for Kainji Lake National Park in 1982 (Tuna, 1982). A comprehensive survey of Ifon forest reserve was carried out in 1992 to determine the sustainability of the convertion of the reserve to a national park (Afolayan etal, 1992). Similarly, a management plan for Old Oyo National Park (Afolayan et aI, 1997). In 2006, a review on Kainji Lake management plan was carried out (Environ Consult 2006).
In 1992 I also participated in the management plan for Old Oyo National Park. In 2006, I was involved in the revision of the management plan of some of the Nigerian Parks. LARGE MAMMALS OF ONDO AND EKITI STATE
Data on the wildlife resources of Ondo State are scanty, and there is little reliable information on the distribution, species composition and population of wildlife within the State Forest Reserves. During 1987-90, information gathered from field survey, by interviewing Forest Rangers/Guards and experienced hunters, coupled with questionnaires, showed that buffalo, elephant, leopard, chimpanzee and other primates, as well as medium to small antelopes, were formerly abundant in the Reserves. The fauna present were typical of the forests and savannas of West Africa.
Table 7 shows the presence of five different species of duiker species, out of eight observed for the whole ofN igeria, including Yellow-backed Duiker. This is an endangered species over most of its range in Africa (Red Data Book), although it is still relatively common in the State, and its conservation should be a matter of concern to the State Government. The Black Duiker is another species which is almost extinct, but is still found in a few localities within the State Forest Reserves.
Seven primate species have been identified as present. These include Chimpanzee, Black-and-white Columbus Monkey and White-throated Monkey, which are all endangered species bordering on extinction. Chimpanzee are still present ill lour of the Forest Reserves, namely Ala, Idanre,
32 Ifon and Ogbese, and these should command special attention for conservation from both the State and Federal Governments. The White-throated Monkey is found within Nigeria only in Edo State, Omo in Ogun State and Ondo State, where it exists in Okeluse Forest Reserve.
Among big game, the Forest Elephant is still present (though in small numbers) in Akure/Ofosu, Idanre, Ifon and Okeluse Forest Reserves. This animal requires special protection by State, Federal and other agencies. The forest Buffalo is found at Ala, Ofosu, Aponmu, Idanre, Ifon and Oluwa Forest Reserves, and in some localities, herds of up to 20 individuals have been sighted. The antelopes Sitatunga and Western Hartebeest are probably extinct within the State. Both species had been sighted at Ifon (and Sitatunga also in Ogbese Reserve), but most hunters said they had not seen them for at least ten years; however, during the survey their skulls and skins were observed in the houses of some of the hunters.
The subfamily Suidae (pigs) is represented by two species, the Red River-hog, .- found in most of the forest reserves, and the Warthog, restricted to savanna woodland. Although Red River-hog has been regarded as an endangered species, it is in fact fairly common in the State.
A recent survey revealed that most habitats of wild animals have been lost in Ifon Forest Reserve. As a result, species like Black duiker has gone to extinction in the reserve, the Red cap mangabey Monkey is endangered and other primates that depend on the high forest. There is still a relics offorest elephants but if care is not taken it may follow the endanger species in the reserve. '~, REPTILES
Large reptiles found in the State are; Nile crocodile, short-nose crocodile, Monitor Lizard and Royal Python. Both the Nile and Shortnose Crocodiles were formerly common in the riverine areas of Ondo state.
33 • Table7: Conservation status of large mammals of Ondo and EkitiState
Tablc7: Conservation status of large mammals of Ondo and EkitiState Common name Yoruba name Scientific name Status Mona monkey Owe/Jaloke Cercopithecus mono Common Green monkey Edun Cercopithecus aethiops Common White-throated - Cercopithecus erythrogaster Endangered monkey Paras monkey Ijimere Ervthrocebus palos Common Crested mangabey Obo Cercocebus gallaritus Rare Black & white - Colobus polykomos Endangered colobus Chimpanzee Inaki Pan troglodytes Endangered Tree pangolin Akika Manis tricusois Common Flying squirrel Ajao Anomalurus S/J. Common Sun squirrel - Heliosciurus sp. - Tree squirrel - Funtsciurus sp. - Ground squirrel Okere Euxerus sp. Common Giant squirrel - Epixerus S/J. Common Giant rat Okete ebutu Cricetomvs zambianus Common Forest giant rat Okete Cricetomvs emini Common Cane rat, cutting- Oya Thryonomys swinderianus Common grass Porcupine Oore A therurus S/J. Common Civet cat - Viverra civetta - Genet cat - Genetta S/J. - Leopard - Panthera pardus - Forest elephant Erin igbo Loxodonta Africana cyclotica Endangered Tree hyrax Elekute Dendrohvrax S/J. Common Warthog Imodo Phacochoerus aethiopicus Rare Red river-hog EsinITuuku Potamochoerus porcus Common Forest buffalo Efon Syncerus caffer nana Endangered Bushbuck Agbunrin/lgala Tragelaphus scrip/us Common Sitatunga Anbunrin-odo Traeelauhus spekei Endangered Maxwell's duiker Etu Cephaloohus maxwells Common Black duiker Etu iabo Cephalophus niger Endangered Red-flanked duiker Esuro/Esoro Cephalophus ru!ilatus Rare Yellow-backed Edu/Ekiri Cephaloplius sylvicultor Rare duiker Crowned duiker Ekulu Sylvicapra grimmia Hartebeest Irakungba A lcelaphus buselaphus Endangered Oribi Aaoro Ourebia ourebia Rare Long-nose crocodile Oni Crocodvlus niloticus Rare Short-nose crocodile Elegungun Osteolaemulus tetraspia Rare Monitor lizard Varon liS sp. Source: Agbelusi (1994)
~-l Table 8: Mammalian species of Nigerian National Parks
SN N'II~ &:icrtiflC rtlIl'£ aN' CJN> IIlJ\I' OCN' ffi'IP O\'P KN' Y(R I IWfra • ...ale G:a11en¢jftU6 p II II II II II E 2 Samt I1xaclJaq5iall1 ? ? '!! ? P P P P J ail_a Slwu;aflr p p p p p p p P 4 Ralllartdcp;: HI-'.iJt",,,,,iJC'i P I' P P II II P P j Hbe.& Akl1t.dUi~ll'i P P p II II P P 6 Bird TarcnrMlstbfiuu,' P II II II II II II II '7- 131,-u.d< Kdu·;clli auvm« P II II II II II P 8 Coom:n\\f\tab.d.: Kd<.-elfiTNP}lIWS P P II II II I' P 9 Kd> Kd,.·kJbkJb P P II II II P II 10. Raxhd< R.dIWltUIW P ? ? ? II II P II. Ydl"",i:ock,liki< (( u(du-; stvcaa P II II II P P II II 12 M=dl'sdiiax « :h:i
35 Key GGNP - Gashaka Gumti National Park - - CBNP - Chad Basin National Park ·KLNP - Kainji Lake National Park OONP - Old Oyo National Park CRNP - Cross River National Park ONP Okomu National Park KLP Kamuku National Park YGR Yankari Game Reserve P Present A Absent ? Not sighted in the last 5 years ?? Not sighted over 10years E Extinction
My recent work on the large mammalian species of Nigerian Conservation Areas reveals that the Parks housed over sixty species (60) of large animals excluding rodents. Table 8 shows that over 20 species of primates are recorded in Nigerian Parks of which two are endemic to Nigeria i.e. white throated monkey (Cercopithus erthrogaster.) Okomu National park in Edo State and the Checked mangabey (Cercocebus altbigonta) in Cross River National Park and Gashaka Gumti Park.
The wild animal population in the park are fast declining due to the reasons I have earlier enumerated in this lecture.
The conservation status of most of the animals ranged from rare to endangered or extinction. It is a pity that species like Elephant, Lion are no longer sighted in Gashaka Gumti due to the activities of the cattle herdsmen. It is noted of recent that the big cat (Lion) are being poisoned by cattle herdsmen in the Park. The status of most ungulate are endangered due to the problems associated with the cattle herdsmen and habitat destruction.
Table 9. shows the conservation status of antelopes before the creation of the Nation-al Parks System in Nigeria. Out of the 24 antelopes recorded for Nigeria only 2 have satisfactory status and these are bushbuck and grey duiker. Others are either vulnerable or endangered and the giant Eland and Oryx are already extinct. Observations show that Topi which was originally present in the Guinea Savanna is now extinct; also other important wildlife species such as Rhino had
36 since gone into extinction. Most of the high forest primates are almost c' \ tinct e.g. black and white colobus monkey, lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, white throated monkey and drills; due to excessive habitat modification, deforestation, shifting cultivation and other exploitation for meat and trophies. Several endemic birds are almost extinct in most areas e.g. parrots and other love birds, the crane, ostrich, storks and fish eagles.
Table 9 : Current Status of Antelolpes in Nigeria Species Status Bushbuck S Sitatunaa En Giant eland Ex Maxwell's duicker V Blue duicker V Red flanked duicker V Bay duicker En Ogilby duicker En Oblack duicker En Yellow backed duicker En Grey duicker S Behor reedbuck En Mountain reedbuck En Waterbuck V Kob V Roan antelope En Scimi lar-horned oryx Ex Western hartebeest V Korrigun En Dorcas gazelle En Red-fronted gazelle En Dama gazelle En Bate pigmy antelope En Oribi V Klippspringer En Source: Anadu and Green (1990) Ex - Extinct (no longer occurs in the wild) En - Endangered (in danger of extinction and unlikely to survive) . V - Vulnerable (declining and likely to move into endangered category) S - Satisfactory (survival be not threatened) r - Indeterminate (known to be endangered, vulnerable or rare but no information available) R - Rare (population small) K - Insufficiently known (lack of information precludes an assessment of status)
37 CONCLUSION
This lecture highlights the objectives of natural resources conservation in Nigeria and discussed the general problems militating against effective conservation of the country's renewable natural resources.
The lecture also suggests strategies for conserving Nigeria's renewable natural resources. It was emphasized in the lecture that the cultural and natural heritage of the people is irreplaceable legacy, which should be seriously cherished and bequeathed unpolluted future to the next generation. '
The future survival of the world human communities depends largely on the success of conservation efforts of different levels of government, NGO and other charitable organization. It also stressed the need to hold in trust the natural heritage endow us as a Nation for the future generation. The need to know the conservation status of the wild animals in our conservation area must be considered and given a high priority.
38 .' RECOMMENDATIONS
1. A research institute to take care of this resource is overdue. Wildlife resources is the only natural resources without a Research Institute.
2. Biodiversity conservation component must be incorporated in National Development Plan, States and Local development plans, Incorporating biodiversity management in all land use planning and practices.
3. To control the rate of biodiversity loss and to increase production, foreign conservations technologies must be adopted to the African context to complement traditional technologies.
4. The domestication of some biodiversity (plants and animals) as food must now be made as integral part of agricultural development policy. More plants need to be identified, described, and propagated to diversify the food base before it is too late.
5. Proper enumeration of Nigeria's biological resources to know their conservation Status should be given high priority.
6. Conscious efforts to protect relics of each unique Nigerian vegetation should be embarked upon.
7. The Conservation Law in the various states of the country should be harmonized with the Federal laws and these Laws should be overhauled to meet the pr:sent need
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39 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Mr. Vice Chancellor sir, this is the LORD's doing, it is marvelous in my eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I will like to express my immense gratitude to God, Alpha and Omega who has spared my life to see this day. If all my hairs are full of tongues, they are not enough to appreciate the love and mercy of God over me. May His name be praised forever.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, though the conservation struggle of our natural heritage been discussed now must continue till the end of time, this Lecture must end today. But, before I take my leave, I would like to seize this opportunity to recognize and thank all those individuals and organizations that have made this lecture a reality.
This Lecture is being dedicated to Late Madam Abigael Omolayo (my aunt) who brought me up and did prophesy that she saw greatness in me and that I would reach the pinnacle of my career. The event of today has fulfilled the prophecy. Mama, how I wish she was alive to witness her dream come true.
I will also like to dedicate this Lecture to my grandfather Late Chief Agbelusi Osewa (the Ojumu of Ijan Ekiti). A professional hunter of his time, he passed down the art of wildlife management to me Ropo, to continue your noble profession" Owu ti iya ba gbon ni omo nran". May his soul rest in perfect peace.
It has been a great privilege to have passed through the hands of my mentors Prof S. S. Ajayi, the man who found me and made me what I am today. In the same vein, I recognize the contribution of Prof. T. A. Afolayan who nurtured me up to maturity in the field of wildlife management, they have not fed me only with fish but taught me how to fish. I counted myself lucky to have sucked the breasts of these two giants in the field of wildlife management. I am exceedingly grateful to both of the",
I appreciate the role played by my cousin and uncle Professor Emeritus Kola Adeyoju and Dr. C. A. Ogunmilade for finding a place for me at Ibadan after my secondary education, if not because for this timid opportunity provided by them, I would no! have been able to achieve today's.laurel. I am grateful to both of them.
I must acknowledge with thanks the receipt of financial support from government, organizations and institutions such as the Ondo State Government Nigeria, Commonwealth Aid for Technical Education London, UNESCO (MAB) Paris, Kainji Lake Research Institute Nigeria, Federal University of Technology Akure Nigeria, C.T.A. Wagenngen and Birdlife International, _ London.
40 I wish to pay tribute to all Vice Chancellors (past and present) of this great University that have contributed to my academic life. First and foremost, Prof. T. I. Francis (blessed) the foundation Vice Chancellor who approved my appointment to this University. Prof. A. A. Ilemobade who approved my promotion up to Senior Lecturer. Prof. L. B. Kolawole who announced my promotion to Readership and Prof. Peter Adeniyi who announced my final promotion to the position of Professor. I am indeed grateful to you all. The incumbent Vice Chancellor Prof. A. M. Balogun, I appreciate you, for excellent leadership and humility and for the opportunity given me to deliver my inaugural lecture. He was my Lecturer at U.I. my HOD in FUTA, under whom r obtained my Ph.D., my Dean (SAAT) in FUTAand a motivator. I thank God foryou.
I will like to appreciate other Professors of wildlife namely; Professor S. A. Onadeko (UAAB), Prof. I. A. Ayodele (U.I.) and Prof. Akosin ( F.U.T Yola), I . will also like to acknowledge the following academic colleagues Prof. C. O. Adedire, 1. Prof. Fuwape, Prof. J. A. Alokan 1. A., Dr. B. Olufemi, Dr. Tunde Ajayi, Dr. Bayo Aborisade, Dr. Ola P. S., Prof. T.O.S. Kadeba, Prof. E. A Falaye, Prof. Faturoti, Dr. J. S. O. Ayeni (former Director KLRI), Prof. Kola Ayorinde, Prof. E. A. Obot, Dr. A. N. Okaeme, Dr. Omorinkoba, Dr. Bankole, Dr. T. Ibiwoye fortheir love and cooperation.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all members of staff in my school (SAAT) and especially my Department Fisheries and Wildlife (Ecotourisrn and Wildlife Management) Prof. O. A. Fagbenro, Prof. E. A. Fasakin, Dr. O. A. Bello- Olusoji, Dr (Mrs) Adeparusi, Dr. A. 1. Adeyerno, Mr. O. O. Owolabi , Mr M.A Sunrnonu Ogunmodede, Dr. O. T. Adebayo, Dr. B. G. Ogunjemite and others for their cooperation and understanding. I am grateful to Mrs Orim isan for typing the manuscript ofthis Lecture.
I acknowledge the assistance received from the Nigerian National Park Service during the course of my field works and supporting this Lecture. I am grateful to the Conservator General (C.G.)Alh. AbubakarTanko, Mr. Manza (D.C.G.), Alh. Salami Abubakar Conservator of Park (C.P.), Dr. Okeyoyin (C.P.), Alh. Goni Mohammed (C.P.), Effa Richard (C.P.), Mr. Osuntoki (C.P.), Alh. Lamidi Kolo (C.P.) and other professional wild lifer. We shall jointly hold in trust the wildlife resources of this nation.
I will like to appreciate my friends Messers Ebenezer Ogunmilade, Ebenezer Aribisala, Rotimi Ajayi, Festus Akinbo, Chief Akingbade, and Dr. Akinlolu Owaniki. I also appreciate the love from my Christian fellowships,Scripture Union,Nigeria;Men ofExcellence,RCCG Mission,Aule and the ElderCouncil of RCCG,Province 4, Ondo State for their prayers.
41 My former and current students, I want you to know that I appreciate your contributions to the story of this day; without you there would probably have been no story to tell.
I wish to express my appreciation to my father's siblings of Late Chief Solomon Ijayemi Agbelusi Ojumu of Ijan-Ekiti, you have been a father to me right from birth. He did not allow me to think for a moment that his brother has passed to glory, Baba you were so nice to me. Sun re o.
I also appreciate the effort of Daddy and mummy F. O. Agbelusi during my early stage in life.
I thank all my brothers, sisters, cousins and uncles, especially Mr and Mrs Soji Agbelusi, Madam Olarewaju Fapohunda, Mrs Omoremi Owolabi, Mr and Mrs Rotimi Awe, Mrs Bola Bewaji, Mr and Mrs Sunday Aki, Pastor and Mrs Madumere, Ope, Toyin and Taye Agbelusi, Mr and Mrs Dahunsi, Mr Akinyemi Ilori,Mrs Fajem ilehin, Mr and Mrs Tope Ojo and others that I cannot list, I thank you all.
To my mother, Madam Rachael Abirnbola, who is present today I say a big thank you and congratulations. To my father Late Isaac Ogunbamiyo Agbelusi may your soul rest in perfect peace.
To my family, Nike, Oluwaseun Morohunfolu and Oluwafisayo MoyinJesu lbitola that have constituted my greatest joy in life, I find no words to express my profound gratitude for their love.
Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir. kl me end this Lecture by saying EBENEZER (my middle name) meaning I"ih in ni Oluwa ran mi lowo de) hitherto, God my sustenance has helped m, I kinks and God bless as you all arise and join me to sing
We give all the glory to.J ( '(IS We give all the glory to k, II S And tell of His love His wonderful love We give all the glory to Jesus And tell of His wonderful love.
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