UNN only surviving Chimpanzee in Zoo dies, embalmed  - Prof. Okoye

By our reporter

Prof Chris Okoye  the Head of Department  Zoology and Environmental Studies,  University of Nigeria Nsukka has said the only surviving Chimpanzee in UNN zoo has died.

Okoye said this in an interview with News Reel (NR) in Nsukka on Thursday,  he said the male Chimpanzee that was over fifty years of age died fortnight ago and had been  embalmed.

"Staff and students of the department feel bad  that the only surviving Chimpanzee in the zoo has died,  though as result of old age 

"As its the tradition of the department  the Chimpanzee has been embalmed and deposited  in the department Museum for practicals and for people on excursion to the museum to see. 

"We do not eat or bury animals in our zoo when they die rather we embalmed and keep them in the museum, ' he said. 

The HOD explained that the female Chimpanzee  staff and students usually referred as the wife of this Chimpanzee, died five years ago and since then the male Chimpanzee had been alone. 

"Efforts to replace the female  Chimpanzee as well as some  other animals that died in the  zoo hit ' brick-wall' because of complain lack of fund by past university managements, "he said. 

On possible reasons why zoos were gradually going into  extinction in  the country,  the HOD attributed it to  low yeliding revenue nature of zoos but very capital intensive to run and maintain.

"it costs huge amount of  money to buy  animals like Chimpanzee, Lion, Elephant as well as to feed  them. 

"The N50 or N100  collected at the gate from visitors as ticket is not even enough to feed these animals not to talk of maintaining them or getting a replacement when any of the animals died.

"That may be  the reason many people do not venture into zoo business because they know there is no profit in it, is just for fun and sight-seeing".

He however said, zoo is very  important as it provides  protection for endangered species of animals as well as serve as  a place for people to get connected to nature.

"Zoos play  important roles in wildlife conservation, research and education.

"Both federal and state  governments 

 should do something urgently to improve funding of zoos in the country else in the next ten years zoo may completely go into extinction," he said said.