LAGOS/Nigeria: Nigeria’s wildlife conservation efforts will feature prominently in a new Pan-African television series, Wild Africa, which premieres on Channels Television on Saturday, August 15.
The 13-part series, produced by conservation communications organisation Wild Africa, will take viewers across the continent to explore wildlife, natural habitats and the work of people involved in protecting threatened species.
The Nigerian premiere is expected to bring conservation issues that are often confined to specialist and environmental circles to a wider television audience, with several episodes highlighting efforts to protect endangered wildlife in the country.
Among the Nigerian conservation stories featured are efforts to rescue sea turtles and manatees, protect forests and preserve the country’s remaining forest elephants. The series also examines efforts to combat the illegal trafficking of pangolins, described by conservation organisations as the world’s most trafficked mammal.
Wild Africa’s Nigeria Representative, Festus Iyorah, announced the premiere in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos.
The programme combines short documentary features with interviews, studio segments and experiences involving public figures and wildlife advocates. It is hosted by Nigerian wildlife veterinarian Dr Mark Ofua, South African freediver and ocean advocate Zandile Ndhlovu, and Zimbabwean television presenter Rumbie Takawira.
The series takes viewers to different parts of Africa, including locations where conservationists and local communities are working to protect elephants, rhinos, gorillas, sea turtles and bonobos.
Its featured stories include sea turtle rescue efforts in Nigeria, elephant conservation in Kenya, protection of Cross River gorillas, community-led rhino protection in Namibia, mountain gorilla conservation in Rwanda and efforts to protect bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The programme also features a number of well-known African and international personalities, including Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, actress Danai Gurira, actor Djimon Hounsou, Nigerian entertainer Laycon and medical practitioner and social media personality Aproko Doctor.
According to information released by Wild Africa, Nigeria’s wildlife population has experienced a significant decline, with the organisation estimating that the country’s elephant population fell from between 1,200 and 1,500 in 1991 to between 300 and 400 today.
Wild Africa also said Nigeria has become an important transit point for illegal wildlife products, particularly ivory and pangolin scales.
The conservation organisation said the country accounted for nearly a quarter of seized ivory and more than half of global pangolin-scale seizures between 2016 and 2019. Those figures are claims attributed to Wild Africa and form part of the conservation concerns examined by the programme.
For Channels Television, the partnership represents an opportunity to use television to broaden public understanding of Africa’s natural environment.
The broadcaster’s General Manager, Kingsley Uranta, said the partnership was consistent with the station’s interest in African storytelling and would help draw attention to the continent’s natural heritage and conservation challenges.
Peter Knights OBE, CEO of Wild Africa and the series producer, said wildlife was important not only to Africa’s natural heritage but also to tourism, employment and local economies.
He said the series was intended to highlight the people working to protect threatened species while presenting conservation issues in a format capable of informing and entertaining audiences.
For Ofua, who is among the presenters, taking conservation stories to mainstream Nigerian television is particularly important because public understanding can influence attitudes towards wildlife.
“Africa has extraordinary wildlife, but many of these species are disappearing before people have had the opportunity to truly know them,” Ofua said.
He said the programme would encourage Nigerians, particularly younger audiences, to see wildlife as part of their heritage and understand their role in protecting it.
West Africa Director of Wild Africa, Linus Unah, said the Nigerian broadcast could help bring conservation further into mainstream public discussion and encourage greater interest in protecting remaining wildlife and habitats.
The series is produced in Cape Town, South Africa, with support from the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Tammy Estrada Strome Foundation.
In Nigeria, new episodes are scheduled for Saturdays, with broadcasts on DStv and terrestrial television, alongside repeat transmissions during the week. The series will also be available to viewers in the United Kingdom through Sky UK.
The Nigerian premiere forms part of a wider Pan-African rollout, with the programme also scheduled for broadcast in several African countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana and Zambia.
Wild Africa, founded in 2022, describes its work as using media, influential voices and campaigns to promote wildlife conservation and encourage coexistence between people and wildlife. The organisation currently operates across several African countries, including Nigeria.
