July 16, (THEWILL) – The first time I visited the zoo, I saw a lot of animals such as Monkeys, Zebras, Leopards, Chimpanzees, Lions, Birds, Tigers, Pythons, Hyenas, Horses and Antelopes among others, and till today, the memories of that outing remain evergreen in my mind.
Visiting places where animals of sundry species are kept opens our minds to see the wonderful work of God in creatures. These animals communicate with one another through their body language. Also, none of them lose grip on their activities within their kingdom.
The zoo is a place an individual or group should not fail to tour. Life is so beautiful for those in the animal kingdom. It would be good if the Nekede Zoological Garden could be sited in any community in the Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of the state. There are other council areas in Imo such as Ohaji-Egbema, Ihitte-Uboma or even Onuimo.
Let us look at this: Among the twenty-seven (27) councils, Onuimo appears to be the most marginalised. That does not mean the government’s eyes are not on the area or it is not being carried along, but the issue remains that there is no government project that is visible in Onuimo.
Those animals need to be brought back to the state after the present administration of Distinguished Sen. Hope Uzodimma might have built a standard zoological garden in the area. During my days in secondary school, our Agricultural Science teacher, Sir Ihekwoaba, now late, taught us that the Zoo is a place where wild animals are kept for research, educational or entertainment purposes.
People from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States visited the Nekede Zoo for tourism and much was gained from their tour. The Imo State Government should hurry up and build a befitting zoo as this would continually enhance the tourism sector in Imo particularly and the Southeast region in general.
Governor Hope Uzodimma has done perfectly well in all areas of the economy in Imo. Almost all the ministries, agencies and parastatals have received his attention, except the Zoological Garden. In the entire Southeast, the Nekede Zoological Garden was the only zoo in the region. Unfortunately, it is no longer there.
The Zoological Garden, under the Imo State Ministry of Culture, has suffered untold setbacks. This sector was generating so much revenue for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Apart from Oguta Lake, the Imo Zoo attracted tourists to Imo, thereby boosting the state’s economy.
Also, I used to see primary, secondary and tertiary institution students visiting the zoological park for excursions. In fact, it provided an opportunity for some of us to learn about various animal species. “Suya” and the bush meat sellers that operated within the entrance gate of the zoo were making huge sales daily. Nekede Old Road became popular because of the situation of the Zoo.
The Nekede Zoo also had reptiles of all kinds. They were confined to a space where they were given food and medical facilities. The government has given strict guidelines to maintain a zoo. This is done keeping in mind the animals’ safety.
That zoo was a great source of entertainment for Imo children and outsiders. They loved visiting it and interacting with animals. Those activities really helped them learn practical knowledge about the animals. It also gave them exposure to wildlife. Even in their schools, the children were excelling because they were not finding it hard to identify types of animals.
