CALABAR, Nigeria (October 2, 2017) – Camera traps set up by researchers from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) in the forests of Nigeria’s Yankari Game Reserve have captured images of a leopard, an elusive big cat thought to be locally extinct in the  region.

Image of the adult leopard captured by the camera 

Images of an adult leopard—taken automatically by the animal tripping the camera trap’s infrared detector—recently confirmed the presence of the species in Yankari. It is believed that leopards can persist in low numbers across more territory than previously thought.  Camera traps are an increasingly common and effective tool used by conservation biologists to survey rare species that would otherwise be extremely difficult to see. 

“We are thrilled to have this photographic evidence confirming the persistence of leopards in Yankari Game Reserve,” said Andrew Dunn, Director of WCS’s Nigeria Country Program.  “Provided that there is sufficient prey available, leopards can survive in places where other animals cannot.  Leopards are usually only active at night in this region, so we believe that it is likely that a small number of leopards have existed all along in Yankari, but have simply escaped observation until now.”

Once widespread across the whole of Nigeria including rainforest and savanna, leopards are threatened by habitat loss, loss of prey, and the illegal wildlife trade.  Today leopard are restricted to a few protected areas of Nigeria such as Kainji Lake National Park and Gashaka-Gumti National Park as well as Yankari Game Reserve.  Leopard have been heavily persecuted in Nigeria for their beautiful skins, highly-prized for traditional purposes and ceremonies. 

“Leopard have not been seen in Yankari for thirty years, so this is a really exciting observation,” said Engr. Habu Mamman, Sole Administrator of Yankari Game Reserve and Resort.  “The confirmation of leopards is an immense source of pride for Bauchi State and further enhances Yankari’s reputation as the foremost tourism destination in Nigeria.”

WCS supports management of the Yankari Game Reserve in partnership with the Bauchi State Government.  The reserve contains one of the largest remaining elephant populations in West Africa and one of only two lion populations left in Nigeria.

As Nigeria’s human population expands at one of the fastest rates in the world, habitat for wildlife species is disappearing.  Fortunately there are still some important wilderness areas left in the country such as Yankari Game Reserve where animals such as elephants and lions can flourish, and where a viable tourism industry can provide benefits to local people.

“We will ensure that leopards and lions, along with elephants and other key species of the Yankari ecosystem, are fully protected and that the populations are allowed to grow,” said Nachamada Geoffrey, WCS’s Landscape Director in Yankari Game Reserve.  “We will further strengthen our anti-poaching patrols and will continue our work with surrounding communities to raise levels of awareness.  We will also expand our camera trapping program to achieve a better understanding of the leopard population in Yankari. Although the trade in leopard skins is banned in Nigeria, these laws are rarely enforced and leopard skins are still seen openly displayed for sale.  We call on NESREA (National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency) and all concerned law enforcement agencies to halt the illegal trade in leopard skins in Nigeria.”

WCS co-manages the Yankari Game Reserve with the Bauchi State Government, and the 96 Elephants campaign provides both funding and support for anti-poaching efforts in the reserve in the form of equipment and training.

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 There have being reports of sighting of dolphins in the Nigerian waters but this wonderful intelligent creatures which are hardly found are brutally butchered when sighted instead of preserving them for conservation and research studies since dolphins aren't real native of Nigeria.
Below are recorded humane treatments given to captured Dolphins:

1. July 05, 2016 cruesome picture of a dolphin caught and killed in Delta State:

2. February 13, 2017 gruesome pictures of a dolphin caught in Brass, Bayelsa State:

3.Pictures of a dolphin reportedly killed in Ibeno local government, Akwa Ibom State:

"Any fool can turn a blind eye but who knows what the ostrich sees in the sand"- Samuel Becket

Local Names: Jìminaa (Hausa), Nyaluhundo (Bena), Kergyégu (Kanuri)

The feathers of adult males are mostly black with a white tail. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The head and neck nearly bare with a thin layer of down. The legs of the ostrich are bare skin and each foot has two toes. Ostriches are 1.8 to 2.8 metres (5 ft 11 in to 9 ft 2 in) tall, weigh up to 140 to 290 pounds and can live up to 45 years. 

Ostriches eat mostly plants, roots and seeds, but are known to also eat insects and lizards.
Ostrich prefer open land, semi-desert and true desert. They can run at speeds of up to 45 mph. They use their wings as rudders to help them change direction while running.
Males will fight for harems of two to seven females by slamming their heads into each other. These fights only last a few minutes, but can result in death.

The ostrich is the largest living bird and lays the largest eggs. Eggs are laid in a communal nest that is about 1 to 2 feet deep and 10 feet wide. The dominant female lays her eggs first with the other females adding their eggs later. Extra eggs from the weaker females are discarded first by the dominant female leaving around 20 eggs in the nest to be incubated. The dominant female and male will take turns incubating the eggs. Incubation is 35 to 45 days. The survival rate is very low for ostrich chicks at the rate of one per nest or 5% surviving until adulthood.

A group of ostriches are called a pride or flock of ostrich. They live in small herd that normally contain less than 12 birds.
Hyenas, jackals, various birds of prey, and vultures prey on ostriches. If threatened an ostrich will flatten itself on the ground or run away. Corner an ostrich and it will kick you with its strong legs.
There is no concern for the extinction of ostriches. Ostrich feathers are considered decorative and are used in feather dusters, their skin is used in leather products, and their meat is sold as food.

Calla lilies are some of the more interesting flowers you’ll ever encounter.Calla lilies are so elegant that just a handful alone can make a stunning bouquet. Many brides agree! White calla lilies are said to be a good luck charm for wedded bliss, they can also bloom year-round if cared for properly. Native to Nigeria, they require warm temperatures and adequate water but can be kept in bloom without too much fuss.

These hardy, frost-resistant, and beautiful calla lilies hail from South Africa and are most commonly found hanging out with frogs on the shores of a pond. Let’s just say it’s their chill space—even though they can technically grow in water alone if they have enough sunlight beating down on them (who needs soil, anyway?)
Calla lilies are also extremely fragrant and bloom from a rhizome, also known as a creeping rootstock. The rhizome is basically a horizontal underground plant stem that can generate and sprout new callas. They are most commonly white, but calla lily colors can also come in nearly every hue and shade under the rainbow—from vibrant oranges and yellows to bewitching dark blues and purples.

“Are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant, except in a picture book?” – David Attenborough.
 
Of the five big games, it is not so easy to come by an elephant in Nigeria today – both in the wild and in captive areas; except you find yourself in the Yankari National Park, believed to have the largest and most important elephant herd of merely 100-150 or Omu-Shasha Forest, Ogun State. The other place you can readily come by an elephant is at the Jos Wildlife Park where an 8-foot, one-tusked, African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) has been stranded in an isolated block for 38 years.

Populations of forest elephants are in dare need of protection in Nigeria. Only about 200 of them remain in the wild in five sites in southern Nigeria. Though also threatened, the savannah elephants in northern Nigeria have received more attention than the forest species in the south.

 
Some of the major problems of the Nigerian Forest Elephants are forest conversion for other uses, habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching for their ivory, among others. Only organised conservation work, public support and enlightenment and good habitat management are capable of saving the forest elephant species from extinction in Nigeria in the medium term (10-20 years). 
The five sites where forest elephants are found in southern Nigeria are the Omo Forests in Ogun State, the Okomu National Park in Edo State, the Cross River National Park in Cross River State, the Idanre Forests and Osse River Park in Ondo State and the Andoni Island in Rivers State.

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Yes! We do have hyenas in the northern part of Nigeria. I’m quite surprised you haven’t heard about the Hyena men of Nigeria. They are people of a rural community of Runka Village in Kastina State, North-west Nigeria.

~Hyenas are powerful carnivorous animals and hunters, that possesses the strongest jaw and teeth in the world that can chomp through every part of their prey, yep! Including their bones~

The Hyena men of Nigeria work with three hyenas, four baboons, and two rock pythons. These men have used these animals to create a very successful business model. It is a family business, for only members of the family are taught how to trap and care for the hyenas and the other animals. 

The animal handlers make use of herbs, concoctions, powders, amulets, and incantations to catch and train the animals. All of these things protect the handlers from harm as well. When the handlers go out to capture a hyena, they drink a protective potion as well as bathe in it. With their hunting dogs, they venture to the caves and forests of northern Nigeria.

When they find a hyena den, they chant incantations to draw the animal out. Then they blow a traditional African tranquilizer, in the form of a white powder, into the animal's face to disorient the beast. Thus, making it easy to subdue. After they coax the hyena out of its lair and subdue it, the handlers apparently have a medicine that they put on the hyena’s body that makes it completely obedient to them. 

The captured hyena then begins training that last for about one to two months. The training teaches the hyena how to live with humans and other animals as well as engage in different kinds of play without becoming violent. After the training, the hyena men use the animals as a circuit display in states and places in the northern Nigeria like Zaria and Kano. With the aid of the large crowds they draw, they use the opportunity sell their native herbs that are used to cure illnesses like typhoid and for fortification against evil doers, which require toddlers being kept on the hyenas to ward of evil beings according to their beliefs. 

Okay meet the hyena men of Nigeria:

So interesting I would love to see the Hyena men of Runka Village in Kastina someday soon, you should too!

The Gurara Waterfalls was discovered in 1745 by a Gwari hunter called Buba, as he was travelling from Zaria to hunt for animals. It sits between Suleja and Minna in Nigeria State, about an hour’s drive from Abuja, the country's capital.

History has it that the Gurara falls and river were named after two gods once worshipped by Gwari people: Gura and Rara. The community around the waterfalls used to worship the falls. If they had any problems, they used to go to the waterfall to pray and make sacrifices.

When some Europeans discovered the falls in 1925, they turned it into a recreational area, and so the sacrifices were stopped.

The Gurara river is a large tributary of the famous River Niger and is most impressive after the rainy season when the water becomes a raging torrent while in January, during the dry season and when water levels are low, there are clear pools at the bottom of the falls in which visitors can swim.As well as being an area of outstanding natural beauty the area surrounding Gurara Waterfall is also a fantastic place for bird watching.

Small streams diverted from the main Gurara River running softly around rocks on top of the cliff, converging from scores tributaries in the narrow rugged pass and dashing out from the cliff with almighty power.The river and the falls itself is noted to have great potentials for sport fishing and wildlife viewing. It has also been said that there’s an area, down the river channel where one can find crocodiles living in their natural habitat.

It is the favourite feasting spot for herd of cattle that feed on the sparse short grasses carpeting the river banks. The environment is pristine, with lots of trees and shrubbery providing healing fresh oxygen, which animates the brain.It is safest to swim in the river during dry season i.e. January-March, when the water is clean and calm.

The water, shining under the sun, as beautiful as fireworks, fell into a pond some 20 meters below.The fall is at its peak between April and November, and at its lowest between January and March.The waterfall spans about 300 meters across and drops 50 meters below.

Taking your family for a tour or picnic won't be a bad idea. Enjoy your stay at Gurara Fall reserve don't forget to take pictures!

Lantana flower is a very beautiful flowering plant growing in Nigeria. It radiant colours are breathe taking and it is planted for beautification purposes. Though it grows naturally in some places, it is a genus consisting of more than 150 species of flowering plants in the Verbena family. 

The clusters of flowers borne by the lantana plants, called umbels, are a mix of red, orange, yellow, or blue and white florets. The flowers typically change color as they mature, resulting in a multicolored inflorescence. The flowers mature into toxic berries, which start off as green and turn black as they mature.

The most obvious reasons to plant and enjoy lantana include their beautiful and vibrant colors, and the ease of growing them. They last a long time.

One of my all time favorite reasons for loving lantana is that they are an amazing butterfly magnet! Butterflies cannot seem to resist lantana to the degree that where you see lantana growing on a warm day, you will also see butterflies enjoying their nectar. That is a win win for me!

Diverse Varieties of Lantana Flower:

Dallas Red.

           It grows up to 3 ft tall, and has orange, yellow, and red blooms that turn deep red.

Patriot Marc Cathey

It is a tall, sterile, and white flowering variety. The flower centers are a clear lemon yellow. It attains a height and width of up to 5 ft

Athens Rose

     It forms an upright mound up to 3 ft tall. The flower buds are magenta, opening to deep         rose-pink and yellow

New Gold

It is very similar or the same as Gold Mound. It is a vigorous spreading plant that reaches up to 2 ft tall and 4 ft wide. This is a heavy-blooming cultivar with deep gold, sterile flowers that do not mature into berries.

Samantha

It has a dark green and chartreuse variegated foliage with bright lemon yellow flowers. It is the same as Lemon Swirl. Plants grow 2-3 ft tall and 4 ft wide. It is a sterile cultivar that does not produce berries

Clear White

                                It is low spreading with pure white flower

Radiation

It is a tall upright cultivar growing 4-5 ft tall and wide. Flowers are orange-red.

Silver Mound

It is a spreading cultivar with creamy white flowers that have a gold eye. It does not usually produce berries.

Patriot Honeylove

It spreads up to 2 ft tall and 3 ft wide with pale pink, butter yellow, and ivory flowers.

Miss Huff

It forms an upright mound that's up to 5 - 6 ft tall. Flowers are sterile, and a mix of orange, coral, and gold.

Mozelle

It is similar to Miss Huff in size and hardiness, but the flowers are softer in color, sterile, and vary from pale yellow to peach and soft pink.

Patriot Cowboy

It grows to only 12" tall and 12" wide. The blooms begin as orange buds that open bright yellow, and change to bright orange.

New Red

It is very similar or the same as Dallas Red. The flowers are orange, yellow, and crimson. This cultivar is the reddest lantana available.

Patriot Rainbow

It grows to only 12" tall and 15" wide. This cultivar is the same as Confetti. It is extremely free flowering, and the flowers open chiffon yellow, and then change to orange and fuchsia-pink.

Patriot Red Sunset

It grows 3 ft tall and wide. Flowers are orange, gold, pink, and coral.

Patriot Popcorn

It is a small cultivar that grows only 12" tall and 24" wide. Flowers are white and yellow in color.

Patriot Deen Day Smith

It is a newer variety with pastel-colored, sterile blooms of rose pink and canary yellow apricot. This is a vigorous growing mounding type that attains a height and width of up to 5 ft.

New Red

It is very similar or the same as Dallas Red. The flowers are orange, yellow, and crimson. This cultivar is the reddest lantana available.