The federal government, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, is taking significant steps to prevent the extinction of elephants in Nigeria by implementing the first-ever National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP) for 2024-2034.
Festus Iyorah, Nigeria’s representative for Wild Africa, said in a statement that while elephants are facing serious threats in the country, there is hope.
The government and NGOs are actively working to safeguard these endangered animals, with the NEAP and the new Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill marking important initial efforts.
The statement was released in celebration of World Elephant Day, as Wild Africa urges stronger measures to protect Nigeria’s elephants from escalating threats to their survival.
According to Dr Mark Ofua of Wild Africa, who is the West African representative, “Over the past 30 years, the population of elephants in the country has declined from an estimated 1,500 to 1,200 which is from two decades ago, to about 300 to 400 today. On this World Elephant Day, we acknowledge how sad it is that we are losing these majestic animals that once roamed freely across our savannas and forests.”
He added that the Poaching for ivory and habitat destruction have reduced their population and are pushing them to the brink of local extinction in Nigeria.
He, however, said if implemented, NEAP should stabilise their numbers, as habitat loss can lead to human-elephant conflict, which occurs when people clash with elephants due to crop raiding or property damage.
NEAP also looks to maintain elephant habitats through land-use planning and create wildlife corridors to mitigate conflicts with communities, as well as increase public awareness and community-shared economic benefits generated by tourism.
