The Jos Wildlife Park manager, Sakburkya Mohammed, has decried the deplorable conditions which has left animals malnourished and lacking mates for breeding. Mr Mohammed also lamented the encroachment of the conservation park by human activities.

The conservationist about the poor state of wildlife welfare in an interview on Saturday in Jos.

He noted that the many attempts to secure higher authorities’ attention for the park have been futile.

Because there had not been any form of animal pairing for breeding purposes in the park for a while, “there’s hardly any hope for continuity for the animals there.

“In a sector for conservation such as this, we need continuity, where we get new animals, and the animals get paired to enhance breeding.

“But once there is no any pairing, you know that you cannot even get any much new animals, and really there is no hope for continuity,” Mr Mohammed enunciated.

Mr Mohammed maintained that the park could only generate reasonable revenues “when there’s something in it for tourists to come and see.

“We are still writing memos requesting for more animals, because as the state of the park is now if there are much animals, then we will get more tourists.

“The revenue will be much, but if there is no animals, people will be reluctant to come in for sightseeing,” he stated.

Mr Mohammed noted that the park only had a lion and an elephant, both without mates.

He lamented that human encroachment was prevailing, with communities getting close to the park for human activities.

“It is getting much, especially for those farming, people are encroaching for farming, and even some are building houses within the park areas.

“So it’s a serious problem, and we need to educate people about the dangers of doing this because if any animal escapes, there’s no way it will not injure people because they are very close to the park.

“So, honestly, we are facing a lot of challenges,” he said.

Jos Wildlife Park is one of the country’s topmost conservation parks and Plateau’s major tourist attraction, where nature has been conserved since its establishment in 1972.

(NAN)