The National Park Service (NPS) has called for urgent action to address the critical decline of the West African lion.

Conservator-General of the NPS, IbrahimGoni, made the call in Abuja on Friday at the “Scientific Manuscript of Investigation into the Genetic Provenance of a Captive Lion Population in Nigeria: Implications for Conservation and Management.”

Mr Goni said that the NPS was focusing on urgent conservation efforts, such as securing park areas, conducting ranger patrols, and re-establishing wildlife populations.

This is a groundbreaking presentation which unveiled the findings of a critical study into the generic provenance of a captive lion population in Nigeria, with significant implications for national and regional conservation strategies.

The research titled, “The genetic provenance of a captive lion population in Nigeria: implications for conservation and management,” he said, confirmed that the captive lions belonged to the endangered West African phylogenetic clade.

He underscored their irreplaceable genetic value.

The CG said that the presentation detailed the meticulous genetic analysis that established the definitive origins of the study population.

He stated, “The results are a vital contribution to the scientific understanding of lion populations in West Africa, a region where wildlife populations are critically endangered and geographically isolated.

“The presentation highlights the key implications of the scientific investigation for conservation to include prioritisation of West Africa lion lineage.

“The study provides a scientific basis for the management of these captive lions and potentially guides future breeding programmes aimed at maintaining genetic diversity within the clade.”

Mr Goni added that the study also highlighted conservation education and awareness, offering a powerful tool for public education on the importance of local biodiversity conservation.

He expressed concern over the regulations of zoological gardens, wildlife parks and the zoo in the country.

He promised more collaboration with other zoos to ensure wildlife conservation and urged that a standard be put in place for the establishment of zoos.

Mr Goni commended the federal government for its support on conservation efforts by the National Park Service.

Earlier, the Deputy Conservator of Parks of the NPS, Kehinde Abidemi, said that biodiversity nationally was facing a decline according to genetic variation, adding that robust genetic management is indispensable.

“The Aso Wildlife collection captive facility in Abuja provided the impetus for investigation to ascertain whether the lions found there were pure Nigerians and where they emerged from in Nigeria,” he said.

(NAN)