Animals Going Into Extinction Soon In Nigeria

The dama gazelle

The dama gazelle is a species of gazelle . It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and the Sahel .
This critically endangered species has disappeared from most of its former range due to overhunting and habitat loss, and natural populations only remain in
Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Niger .Its habitat includes grassland, shrubland, semi-deserts, open savanna and mountain plateaus.

Lion

The West African lion (Panthera leo leo) is a lion population in West
Africa that is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
In 1970 there were approximately 200,000 lions all over Africa. Now there are nearly 20,000. It was estimated that there are just 645 genetically distinct wild lions left in western and central Africa, with as few as 34 remaining in the whole terrirtory of Nigeria. Clusters of lions remain in Burkina Faso, Niger, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Chad. In Ghana, The Ivory Coast and Togo there are already no lions left.

Cross-River's gorillas

This is the most western and northern form of gorilla, and is restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region at the headwaters of the Cross River. It is threatened by human hunting pressure and competition over habitat.
This subspecies of the western gorilla is very similar in appearance to the more numerous western lowland gorilla, but subtle differences can be found in the skull and tooth dimensions. These animals are going extinct because of poaching and it has a detrimental effect on the population of the animal.
It is estimated that only 100 Cross River gorillas survive in Nigeria today, with an additional 200 in the adjacent forest of Cameroon. The reason is widespread hunting for the bush meat trade.

Crested Genet

The crested genet weighs about 1 - 2 kg (2.2 - 4.4 lb). Based on information from hunters, it is believed that its range probably extends throughout heavily forested parts of the Niger Delta, apparently including the tidal freshwater or marsh forest zone but not the mangrove zone and probably not the coastal barrier islands.

Elephant

The forest elephants in Nigeria found in Ondo, Osun and Ogun states are more threatened by deforestation. Experts fear that about 40 forest elephants are remaining in Omo, Shaha and Oluwa forest reserves. Hunting, logging and farming methods used in the forest have affected them and depleted their population over the years.
The elephants in these states could be extinct in five years if the problem of logging and poaching in their natural habitat continues.
Only organised conservation, public support and enlightenment and good habitat management are capable of saving the forest elephant species from extinction in Nigeria.
This should be a wakeup call for the government to do something about the gradual annihilation of these wonderful species.

Hartwig's Soft-furred Mouse

This is a specie of rodent from the Muridae family. It is found only in Nigeria and Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and is threatened by habitat loss.

Giant African Water Shrew

This is a semiaquatic, carnivorous tenrec. It is found in the main rainforest block of central Africa from Nigeria to Zambia.

Morris's bat

Morris's bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Nigeria. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, caves, and subterranean habitats.