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Conservationists and students celebrated as three rescued sea turtles, endangered in this part of the world, were released back into the sea at a private beach in Nigeria’s economic hub. lagos,
A few weeks after the turtles were rescued from fishermen, they were released back into the ocean, becoming the latest of dozens of sea turtles rescued by the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative in recent years. This batch was released last weekend.
“For fishermen, they are just food,” Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers group, told The Associated Press. “There’s no knowledge about wildlife there.”
Sea turtles, known for the vital role they play in the marine ecosystem, are endangered around Lagos, a coastal city of more than 20 million people. There is no data on their remaining populations in Lagos waters, but wildlife conservationists like Mogbo talk about a worrying decline in the number of sea turtles coming to the shore to lay eggs.
Endangered wildlife species in Nigeria
Nigeria, home to an abundance of wildlife, has 23 “critically endangered species” International Union for Conservation of Nature,
The West African country is also a hotbed of illegal wildlife trafficking, which experts say is due to population growth pressures and a lack of awareness about the animals.
Mark Ofua, Wild Africa’s West Africa representative, said, “Nigeria’s endangered wildlife faces extremely serious and ongoing threats, teetering on the brink of irreversible biodiversity collapse.”
Conservation efforts are yielding results
The injured sea turtles rescued by Mogbo and his team were kept at a sanctuary for threatened wildlife in Lagos before being released back into the sea.
“We released sea turtles and found them being caught again six months later and fishermen brought them to our attention,” Mogbo said. “For me this is a positive turning point.”
Incentives have helped the fishermen, he said. Fishermen are rewarded with fishing gear if they catch sea turtles in their nets or alert conservationists when they spot a turtle nest on the shore.
As the three turtles disappeared into the water, a group of students watched with admiration.
“This is very special to me because I am very passionate about wildlife rehabilitation and conservation,” said Aviel Izendonmi, one of the students present. “Seeing something like this in Nigeria, where it’s uncommon, makes me realize how important these things are.”