By Ikechukwu Raphael
Nigeria’s first wildlife-focused show for kids promises to educate children on Nigeria’s amazing wildlife.
Children have a different understanding of how the world works. They read rhymes, poems, riddles, and comic books and watch cartoons and animations to make sense of the world. They are curious, intelligent, and eager to have fun while learning.
But as of today, more effort is needed to teach children about the environment and wildlife. The world faces many environmental issues, such as the destruction of wildlife habitats, with animal and plant species quickly disappearing.
Nigeria, for instance, is home to Lions, Elephants, Gorillas, Pangolins, and other amazing animals found in the wild. This amazing biodiversity can be found across Nigeria’s regions.
But as Nigeria experience massive population growth, these fantastic animals are losing their homes. Humans are building where they live. In addition, hunters also kill them for bushmeat and harvest their body parts.
There’s also limited information and education on saving these plant and animal species.
Besides, the few Nigerian children exposed to wildlife content via television are exposed to foreign network programs that hardly showcase Nigeria’s unique biodiversity. As a result, children are ignorant of Nigeria’s rich biodiversity. They know what a Narwhal is but have never heard of a Pangolin!
Nigeria is blessed with forests and rich wildlife. We have national parks (where wild animals live), rainforests, and wild animals such as Lions, Elephants, Pangolins, and Antelopes, amongst many other animals.
Dr. Mark Animal TV show, a new wildlife-focused show for kids, will answer children’s questions about Nigeria’s fantastic wildlife. It will explain the importance of wild animals like Pangolins, Pythons, and African Grey Parrots to domestic animals like Dogs.
The show will address the challenges, teaching children about Nigeria’s indigenous wildlife and the basics of conservation. This knowledge will make them aware of their environment and the need to protect Nigeria’s rich biodiversity, halting the destructive behavior of killing animals.
In this show, questions about these animals are answered by the show’s host, Dr. Mark Ofua, a seasoned Veterinarian and conservationist. He will also tell the kids how these animals are essential to the environment and why we must protect them.
At the show’s end, a quiz tests their knowledge of what they’ve just watched.
The show is also crucial at a point these animals are fast disappearing. In the past, we have large numbers of lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Rhinos, Vultures, Leopards, and Cheetahs roaming across Nigeria. But heavy hunting and killing of these animals have reduced their populations. Sadly, Nigeria no longer have Giraffes, Rhinos, and Cheetah
They are killed for trophy hunting and bushmeat.
Elephants, for instance, are hunted and killed for their long tusks – which criminals use as raw materials to make ivory products such as jewelry and home decorations. Pangolins, shy little animals, are also killed for bushmeat and their scale – which is transported to Asia and used for local medicine.
These animals we have lost play a massive role in keeping our environment. But they have all disappeared forever.
Children can change that by learning more about the environment and taking the lessons to heart. With this show, they will be equipped to be ambassadors to protect other animals like pangolins from disappearing in Nigeria.
“Dear parents, we are bringing the wildlife (animals) we are blessed with here in Nigeria and Africa right before your screen, teaching your kids about them and getting them to know more about the environment and nature,” said Dr. Mark Ofua, the host of the first wildlife-focused show.
The show will air every Saturday at 11:30 AM on Silverbird TV channel 252 on DSTV, Channel 109 on StarTimes Channel, and 92/192 on GOTV channel.
This show will enlighten children on Nigeria’s fantastic wildlife with practical lessons that will stay with them until adulthood, said Festus Iyorah, Wild Africa Fund’s Nigeria Representative and the new TV show’s producer.
“It’s a must-watch for kids, and I strongly encourage you parents to watch it with your kids because it’s a learning time filled with fun for everybody,” Iyorah added.
- Raphael is one of the contributors at the Wild Africa Fund.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
