By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Association of Zoological Gardens and Wildlife Parks (NAZAP) has promised to reconstitute the national animal rescue team within 72 hours.
This was made known by the national president of NAZAP, Mr Dipo Bali, in a statement signed by the secretary of the association, Dr Kabir Ali.
The group released a statement to react to the death of an elephant, which wandered into Nigeria from a neighbouring country recently into Oyo State.
Three elephants were sighted in the country, with two allegedly killed by natives, while the third one, which was rescued and was being transported to a safer place died in Kwara State.
In the statement, NAZAP expressed regret over the unfortunate incident, explaining that the wild animal was being evacuated to a more secured environment in a bid to prevent it from causing havoc to both farmlands and properties in general.
The group described the elephant’s death as unfortunate, noting that the team tried to rescue it before things turned awry and should not be vilified. He said it was a collective responsibility to protect the animals.
“The NAZAP family is rather distraught at the news of the death of the beloved wild elephant at a local government area of Kwara State. The attempted rescue by animal lovers was necessitated by the possibility of destruction of life and properties of people in that area, with a high possibility of poaching by hunters.
“There were initially three elephants and two were killed by humans in retaliation for the elephants ransacking their farms. This last one was in danger of being killed, hence the attempt to rescue it,” the statement said.
However, the association assured members of the public of its readiness to enhance the availability of rescue and reversal drugs that will ensure that future losses are avoided.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Adedapo Adesanya