Not only human beings have been displaced by the torrential flood that swept across Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, on Tuesday, but also wildlife within the Sanda Kyarimi Park located at Shehu Laminu Way in the city.

Ali Abatcha, the park general manager, has told reporters that 80% of the wildlife population in the park has been lost to the flood while others have been thrown into the city, unfamiliar territory to the animals.

True to Abatcha’s words, some videos of an old lion stranded in a waterlogged enclosure, crocodiles and a large tortoise seen on the streets have been posted on social media platforms, particularly X.

While stories of the impact of the flood on human lives have been well reported, with Governor Umara Zulum stating that over one million people were affected, the story of the number of protected wildlife that may have been killed in the disaster remains relatively untold.

Following the general manager’s revelation, FIJ takes a look at the park’s ecosystem and what species of animals may have been lost to the flood.

ENDANGERED ANIMALS THAT MAY HAVE DIED

As one of the oldest zoos in the country, the Sanda Kyarimi Park was home to large animals such as elephants, lions, ostriches, crocodiles, hyenas and many other non-domesticated wild animals. The park served as a recreation and relaxation spot for the city’s residents daily and during religious festivals.

Other wild animals in the park included red pandas, baboons, chimpanzees and monkeys.

Unfortunately, some of these animals have been killed by the severe flood that drowned some bungalows in Maiduguri.

A research paper written by Y. P. Mbaya and two other scholars in 2015 on the management of the park showed that there were 20 mammalian species in the park. About 75% of these mammals were sexually paired and kept in different enclosures.

Furthermore, only 25% of the mammals were females such as the dama gazelle and elephants which were endangered animals commonly found in the Sahara and the Sahel. Others were the common eland, striped hyena and warthog.

Most of these animals vary in the endangered species classification. Generally, they play an important role in the park’s ecosystem, helping to sustain tourist enthusiasm and contributing to the community’s income.

Seven species of birds were also identified by the scholars. Two of these, the griffon vulture (male) and the tawny eagle (female), were not sexually paired.

The state and traditional authorities have invested to revitalise the park in recent years. For instance, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, the Shehu of Borno, donated two ostriches to the park on December 28, 2021.

In the same year, Borno Deputy Governor Usman Umar Gadafur also donated a male gazelle, an endangered species, to the zoo.

ABOUT THE PARK

Borno, located in the Sahel Savannah, has already been a battleground for insurgency and counterinsurgency operations of the armed forces in the past decade. Under these circumstances, the impact of peace restoration efforts on Borno’s biodiversity is yet to be fully measured.

Sadly, the 17-hectare-wide park that has endured the sounds and vibrations of artillery blasts over these past years has been decimated by the flood from Alau Dam.

Created as a protected area in 1970, the park’s activities started on a good footing when Keyan former President Jomo Kenyatta presented an array of wild animals to the state in 1974. By 1976, the federal military government renamed the park after Mustafa Kyari Elkanemi, the Shehu of Borno from 1937 to 1967.

Given the fact that some of these animals were endangered species, it could take several years for the park to quantify and regain its losses from September’s flood.

Just as the authorities are rescuing the affected people, it is important to also track some of the escaped animals and bring them back into the park as tracking and saving them is important to environmental conservation drive and the safety of the people. The authorities could also use media platforms to encourage citizens to provide information on their whereabouts.

Constant floods ravaging many parts of the country almost annually, coupled with increasing deforestation and inadequate environmental infrastructure, has put Nigeria’s biodiversity under severe threats.

As rescue efforts continue, the authorities are yet to release statistical data on the extent of the calamity on the people and the nature.

However, some of the animals highlighted in this report may have died in the park, on the street or may have been luckily rescued by compassionate people.