ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS IN ANDONI AND OPOBO/NKORO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

• C. N. Onuchukwu

  Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

  Author

• H. M. Ijeomah

  Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

  Author

• A. A. Nchor

  Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

  Author

This study examined Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWC) in Andoni and Opobo/ Nkoro Local Government Areas of River State, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through structured questionnaire, personal observation and in-depth interview with respondents from selected communities. A set of questionnaires was randomly administered to household heads in Ikuru (40), Ilotumbi (19), Oyorokotor (64), Epellema (20), Opobo main town (263) and Queens's town (40). The number of respondents selected in each community is in proportion to the population size of the community. A total of 446 respondents were sampled. The data collected were subjected to descriptive analyses while Chi-square was used for test of associations. All the respondents admitted that wildlife presence had various types of effects on households. Positive effects were rated low by most of the respondents in all the communities except in Oyorokotor (58.82%). The major wildlife species involved in HWC were Elephant (Loxodonta africana), Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and Crocodile (Crocodillus niloticus). The major causes of HWC were identified as searching of food by the animal species, ignorance of the respondents, inadequacy of space and resources amongst others. HWCs have caused physical injuries to members of selected communities, fears of being attacked by wild animals, and destruction of fishing nets in the study area. Chi-square tests of association between awareness of damages caused by HWC with gender, age and qualification of the respondents were not significant (p > 0.05),while perceived level of damages caused with occupation was significant (p the challenges that is affecting wildlife conservation, wildlife management and ecotourism development in Nigeria. Conflicts have led to retaliatory killing of wildlife, crop prowling, livestock predation, property damage, injury and death. Wildlife species such as birds, elephants (Loxodonta africana), bush pig (Potamochoerus larvatus), Buffalos (Syncerus caffer), primates and hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibus) are always in conflict with farming activities (Lamarque et al, 2009). Elephant (Loxodonta africana) causes severe and extensive damage to crops, thus causing reduction in crop yield, which is a threat to food security. Elephant (Loxodonta africana), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), lion (Panthera leo) and crocodile (Crocodylus sp.) have caused many human deaths in African countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and Zambia (Lamarque et al, 2009). Many wild animals have also been killed as a result of conflicts in many African countries. For instance, in July 2005, a home of mountain gorillas was seen butchered in Democratic Republic of Congo by people who entered the forest illegally to fell trees for charcoal production (Anderson, 2008). According to Acharya et al, (2016), humanwildlife conflicts have been extremely controversial when people are attacked by species that are endangered and are legally protected. Both parties involved in the Introduction The continuous increase in human population has reduced the available space and resources for man and wildlife. This has brought about the competitions between people and wildlife (for mutual but inadequate resources) which has resulted to various types of conflict (Peterson et al, 2011). In search of space to cultivate agricultural crops, build houses, and construct roads, people encroach into forests and water bodies, thereby altering habitats of wild animals. According to Sukuman (1992), habitat of wildlife species such as the Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Lion (Pathera leo) and other large mammals has been significantly encroached upon to support the growing human population thereby causing a severe fragmentation of elephant population. Wildlife species now migrate from far distances into the forest close to the Atlantic Ocean in search of food, vegetation cover and areas with less disturbance. This migration has made wildlife species to leave the forest and move close to human settlement to feed on crops on farm lands, thus causing crop depletion and destruction of properties, which result to retaliatory killing of wildlife. Studies have shown that human and wildlife conflicts are common when people and animals occupy the same space (Choudhury, 2004, Wilson et al, 2015). Conflicts between human and wildlife species is one of 43

1. C. N. Onuchukwu, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

   Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

2. H. M. Ijeomah, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

   Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

3. A. A. Nchor, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

   Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

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