The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), on Monday, condemned the brutal killing of two young elephant calves in the Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State on 17 December 2023.
The association added that it received with deep pain, reports of the killings of two booted eagles that migrated from Europe but met their sad ends in Kebbi and Sokoto states.
The President of NVMA, Dr Moses Arokoyo, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the elephants were allegedly killed by a military officer, citing a video posted on social media.
“A military personnel (wearing camouflage) was caught in the act as evident in a viral video circulating across social media platforms committing this dastardly act.
“This inhumane act depicts the premeditated and willful termination of a harmless and defenceless creature’s life, it also infringes on the animal’s right to live, which is our duty to protect as veterinarians”, Arokoyo stated.
He said the NVMA would like to inform colleagues and the entire veterinary community that “the Nigerian National Park Service is already being engaged on the issue”.
He also noted that “in line with further investigations, the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association will work in collaboration with the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to get a sustainable solution to the continued animal brutality, as this is becoming of increasing concern”.
Arokoyo noted that this act might not be unconnected to a lack of awareness and sensitivity about the significance of wildlife conservation and options of non-lethal methods of self-preservation to mitigate threats from these endangered wildlife species.
“Hence, we will ensure that adequate steps are taken to correct this through intensified sensitisation campaigns. The NVMA uses this medium to once again reiterate the need for the employment of veterinarians across the local government areas in Nigeria. They will be saddled with not just wildlife preservation responsibility but also animal health and will also provide early warning on disease outbreaks, especially zoonotic diseases.
“Veterinarians are the gatekeepers of public health, as current trends have shown that 75 per cent of emerging and re-emerging diseases are of animal origin,” Arokoyo stated.
He said the NVMA remained committed to the preservation and welfare of the over four 400 million livestock in Nigeria.
“We are open to collaborations with all stakeholders to prevent the recurrence of this act and ensure a mutual coexistence between humans, wildlife, and all other members of the ecosystem”, the NVMA president stated.
