Bennett Oghifo For generations, elephants once moved freely through Nigeria’s forests and savannahs, forming huge herds that were an unmistakable part of the country’s natural landscape. But today, the sight of an elephant in the wild has become an increasingly rare experience, with conservationists estimating that only about 400 remain across the country. The shrinking population, fragmented habitats, human-wildlife conflicts and continuing pressure on forests have raised fresh concerns over the survival of Nigeria’s elephants. As the world prepares to mark World Elephant Day on August 12, conservationists have warned that the country’s remaining elephant population is at a critical point and requires urgent and sustained intervention to prevent its disappearance from Nigeria’s forests and savannahs. The warning came during a World Elephant Day media chat organised in partnership between Wild Africa, a conservation communication organisation, and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), regarded by conservationists as one of Nigeria’s oldest and foremost conservation organisations. The annual World Elephant Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the plight of elephants globally, while advocating policies and practical measures to protect the species and its habitats. Speaking during the media interaction, NCF’s lead for biodiversity pillar programmes, Dr. Stella Egbe, said the occasion offered conservationists an opportunity to take the elephant conservation message beyond the traditional conservation community and into the wider public space. According to her, Nigeria still has remnant populations of elephants that could recover if adequately protected, but their survival depends largely on protecting their habitats and maintaining the ecological corridors through which they move. “We want to have a conversation about their plight, about the need to protect them and about their importance,” she said. Wildlife veterinarian and conservationist, Dr. Mark Ofua, who represents Wild Africa in West Africa, painted a picture of how dramatically Nigeria’s elephant population has declined within a generation. He recalled stories told to him by his father about growing up in the Niger Delta, when large herds of elephants were so common that people travelling to school sometimes had to wait for the animals to cross the road. “My father would tell me that growing up, there were times he would leave home and be going to school early, but get to school late because on his way they would come across large herds of elephants,” Ofua said. “They would have to wait for the entire herd to cross before they could continue.” But the situation has changed significantly. Ofua said that although he grew up in Delta State, he never saw an elephant there because the population had disappeared. Nigeria, according to current estimates cited during the discussion, has about 300 forest elephants and approximately 100 savannah elephants in the wild. The forest elephants are mainly found in southern Nigeria, including Omo Forest Reserve in Ogun State, Okomu in Edo State, Cross River National Park and Andoni in Rivers State. Savannah elephants are found predominantly in northern Nigeria, with Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State hosting the major population. There are also elephant movements across Nigeria’s international borders, particularly between Nigeria and Benin Republic and Nigeria and Cameroon. Egbe explained that elephants do not recognise political boundaries and historically moved across extensive landscapes in search of food, water and suitable habitats. However, the fragmentation of forests and other natural habitats has increasingly restricted these movements. “Many of these movements that used to be vital to preserving our healthy elephant population and preventing inbreeding are facing the challenge of fragmentation,” she said. Habitat fragmentation occurs when large, continuous natural habitats are divided into smaller, isolated areas by human activities such as agriculture, settlements, roads and other developments. For elephants, the consequences can be particularly severe because of their enormous territorial and nutritional requirements. Ofua warned that the estimated population of about 400 elephants was already small enough to raise concerns about genetic diversity and inbreeding. “This is already at a critical position or a critical mass because that is already too small a family,” he said. He, however, maintained that the situation was not beyond recovery if the remaining animals were protected and allowed to reproduce. “If we leave these animals to thrive, then there is every chance that they can recover,” he said.
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