By Aisha Talba Ballama
The 2024 flood in Maiduguri is long gone but its devastating impact on the Sanda Kyarimi Zoo Park still remains. The flood caused the lives of some of these wild life, and others escape into the surrounding communities.
The escaped animals, include snakes, crocodiles, ostrich, and elephant, have caused panic among residents during the flooding and it doesn’t stop there.
The aftermath of the flood in September 2024 has been severe, with many people dead and tens of thousands displaced across Nigeria.
The Borno State Government had during the flood opened the Bakassi camp to accommodate displaced individuals, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has provided food, shelter, and medical assistance to victims as a soccour to quash the devastating impact of displacement.
Snakes, crocodiles, tortoise, ostrich and elephant escaped, causing concern among residents
Staff member of the Sanda Kyari Zoo, and other supports from community members led to the rescue and recapture of the some of the escaped animals, with some suffering injuries in the process.
“We’ve worked round the clock to bring back the animals, but it’s been tough,” said a Zoo staff member who anoinimously spoke describing the incident as dangerous” He added ” This is something we have never seen before”
“Some of our colleagues have been hurt, and we have done our best to care for the remaining animals, especially the elephant and the ostrich which found their way out of the zoo during the flood”
He narrated showing deep concern on the animals welfare he said “Maiduguri Zoo was created in 1974, it all started as a tree plantation hub, the zoo has a natural space with trees surrounding the environment conducive for rearing animals, Kenyata visited the plantation site as one of the recreational place in maiduguri in 1974 from there Kenyata’s advice Borno made it a recreational center for its residents, looking into consideration the nature of the environment.
The zoo animals are part of us he stated ” we make efforts to feed the remaining animals in the zoo that survived the flood especially the lion we threw row meat while he struggles to grab jump from one tree to the other, all the zoo animals escaped, leaving only the lion and two monkeys in their cage”
” Even though, we have lost many animal, the elephant also died a year later due to stress as a result of the flood that led to severe sickness”
“We found him dead in his trench” he says in a low voice nodding his head, we miss him, he is one of the longest surviving animals here, we also lost the chimpanzee and all other monkey leaving us with just two little monkeys who managed to struggle and grab the cage to survive, the snakes and crocodiles escaped to the nebouring residence while efforts where maid to capture them and it was successful”
The state government ability to provided food for the remaining animals is uncertain, raising concerns about their welfare.
The situation remains dire, with many animals still unaccounted for and residents struggling to cope with the aftermath of the flood.
After several attempts to see the zoo manager, all efforts proves abortive at last he explained that ,the state government have ordered for no respond to any journalist on the issue of animals in the zoo and the aftermath of flood. He mentioned some of the efforts of some non- governmental organization who managed to renovate the environment and the government efforts in bringing another animal as far as Miami in the United State.
He further explained that all efforts have been put in place to bring animals for the three steps of quarantine before bringing them into the zoo.”presently the state government has ordered for the animals to bring them down to Nigeria, and to Borno, explaining that they have constructed the quarantine space and ready to receive the animals.
Business hubs where shut down, retails shops were closed because there were no more animals and no more visits to check on them, that has also a serious impact on the and the daily to day activities.
Business owners around the zoo who often have shops and trade around the zoo says bussiness depend on daily activities to survive.
Modu Sale, an 18 year old ice cream seller said “I make money from this business to feed my self, buy clothes and even support my mother”
” Ice cream here has saved me a lot, but just to wake up one early morning that the animals are dead and people are scanty here, I hadly make little out of ice cream business here now anymore”
” I just hope and pray that the government will do something to bring some animals to the zoo, I can still continue with my ice cream business, for now it is the only business that feeds me and my mother
Borno Radio Television sits opposite with the Zoo, and it is worst hit by the flood. Some of the animals like snake and crocodile managed to escape into the water causing panic to residents and the entire offices and surrounding.
One of the staff of BRTV who choose to remain anonymous was on a night shift. He said ” The snakes and crocodiles escaped Zoo immediately the flood submerged the surrounding, some of them were captured in the nebouring residence and the Post Office area.
Cages and trenches are locked leaving the surrounding with silent whispers from little birds on the trees ,and leaving memories shattered of what once to the the city’s most important recreation centre.
