Scholarly works in Wildlife and Ecotourism Management
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Item Status report for amphibian conservation in Nigeria(Society for Conservation Biology, 2019) Coker, O. M.; Isong, O. M.Item Genetic variations in Thomas’s Rope Squirrel (Funisciurus anerythrus) and Gambian Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) Ibadan, Nigeria, using Allozyme markers(2018) Coker, O. M.; Osaiyuwu, O. H.; Isong, O. M.Thomas’s Rope Squirrel (Funisciurus anerythrus) and Gambian Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) are two of the eight squirrel species found in Nigeria with overlapping habitats in Southwestern Nigeria. Squirrels are involved in pollination, seed dispersal, vectors of human and domestic animal diseases as well as crop and household pests. These species and the crucial ecosystem services they render are threatened by habitat destruction, human encroachment and the fact that they are being used as a source of protein in Nigeria. Their conservation would be enhanced by availability of accurate genetic information which are scarce for these species. This study seeks to provide baseline data on genetic variation at three allozyme loci in the two species in University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Twenty-nine individual squirrels including eighteen F. anerythrus species and eleven H. gambianus were used in this study. These were obtained from the wild within the University of Ibadan. Observed and expected heterozygosity (Ho and He), Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), genetic distance between the species, and inbreeding coefficients were performed using POPGENE and Tools for Population Genetic Analyses (TFPGA). In F. anerythrus, Ho and He were 0.6092 and 0.5635, respectively, while, for H. gambianus, Ho and He were 0.6242 and 0.5745, respectively. There were no deviations from HWE in all the tested loci (p>0.05). Nei genetic distance between the species was 0.0070 and the populations showed fairly high level of outbreeding (FST = 0.0029 ± 0.0017). More robust genetic markers would be required to further ascertain the genetic status of the species.Item Genetics of wildlife diseases and its impact on biodiversity conservation(2018) Coker, O. M.Diseases of wildlife origin have great impact on the conservation of the vast global biodiversity and also take a toll on domestic animals’ and human health. Diseases of wildlife have the capacity to be of utmost concern because they can affect the economy and public health if not attended to promptly. An amazing 60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and many of the recent cases have been proved to originate from wildlife. Knowledge of genetics is important to curtail the emergence of overwhelming wildlife diseases. Understanding the genetics of these diseases is important to give a better understanding of how they can be prevented and controlled to forestall the decimation of wildlife populations and consequent effect on biodiversity. Being armed with the knowledge of both, host and pathogen or parasite genome, would go a long way to pursue the solutions to wildlife diseases and their transmission. This review is geared towards promoting the incorporation of genetics and genomics and its diverse concepts and techniques into the process of detection, characterization, control and prevention of wildlife diseases.Item External and internal morphometry of the four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris Wagner, 1841) in Ibadan, Nigeria(University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 2018) Coker, O. M.; Olukole, S. G.; Udje, O. A.Body size and measurements are important determinant of fitness in m any species. The four-toed hedgehog (Atelerix aibiventris) is the m ost preferred pet species of the hedgehogs and has been found in Africa to be eaten as bush m eat and hunted for fertility charms. This puts the animal at risk. The morphometries of the hedgehog genera has been carried out with little attention to the comparison between its external and internal body parts. This study is therefore aim ed a t determining the relationships among the external and internal morphometries of A. aibiventris in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Twelve (12) adult individuals comprising of 5 males and 7 females were used in this study and were all gotten from the wild in Ibadan, Nigeria. Live weights, external body measurements and weights of some internal organs were measured. Means and standard deviations were calculated. The T-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficients were conducted at a0.o5. The snout length and the tail thickness in males were significantly greater than that of females. Live weights in male correlates significantly with the trunk circumference, while in females it correlates with trunk circumference, body length, lung weight and heart weight. Several significant correlations were established among both external and internal parameters measured. This study revealed a reduction in the size of Atelerix aibiventris when compared with the previous similar studies. Factors such as increased hunting and habitat destruction might have been responsible for this.Item Importance of genetics in conservation of biodiversity(Wildlife Society of Nigeria, 2017) Coker, O. M.Genetic diversity is the centre pillar for species and ecosystem diversities and the main goal of conservation genetics is to apply the knowledge of genetics to reduce the risk of extinction. Unfortunately, it has not received its deserved place in the biodiversity conservation efforts. This review is aimed at highlighting the need for the application of genetics in the conservation of natural resources and as well to assess the successes recorded so far while also identifying some challenges of conservation genetics. Non-invasive DNA sampling have been used to trace the origin of seized ivory tusk, detect hybridization, evaluate social structures in organisms, estimate population size and identify predator of kills. Poor adaptation of captive-bred endangered species when they are reintroduced to the wild, solving the problem of inbreeding and the high cost of conducting researches were identified as some of the challenges in the field of conservation genetics.Item Genetic structure of wild and domesticated grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus) from south-western Nigeria(Informa UK Limited, 2017) Coker, O. M.; Omonona, A. O.; Fagbohun, O. A.; Pylant, C.; Austin, J. D.Grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) is a large rodent distributed across sub-Saharan Africa that is highly valued as a source of protein. There has been little effort to evaluate the genetic structure of grasscutters despite long-term harvesting pressure and over 40 years of grasscutter domestication in West Africa. Our objectives were to quantify the genetic structure of wild grasscutters, and to compare genetic variation from wild samples to those from various farmed samples within south-western Nigeria. We genotyped 145 wild and 88 domesticated individuals at 11 microsatellite loci and present results quantifying regional genetic structuring and the relative patterns of diversity among wild and domesticated grasscutter populations. Our data reflect high differentiation between wild and domesticated grasscutters, and significantly greater allelic richness and gene diversity in the former. Despite this, domesticated populations appear to have similar levels of observed heterozygosity and comparable levels of differentiation among domesticated samples relative to wild samples. This may be the result of high turnover within captive colonies, or frequent infusion of new animals. More detailed molecular and quantitative genetic studies are recommended on this species to be able to understand their natural variation, degree of connectivity and to improve strategies for domestication.Item Wariness, an adaptive trait for survival in Krefft’s puddle frog (Phrynobatrachus krefftii)(Society of Tropical Forestry Scientists, 2015) Coker, O. M.; Dolotovskaya, S.; Buis, J. J. W.Wariness has been defined as the trait of being cautious and watchful. It is the condition of being alert and careful forethought to avoid harm or risk. The distance at which an animal will initiate flight in relation to the position of the predator, as well as the final distance that it places between itself and the predator when it stops running, has been used as an index of its degree of wariness. An understanding of the adaptive behavior of an animal will help its conservation and management. Krefft’s puddle frog (Phrynobatrachus krefftii) is vulnerable and it is endemic to the East Usambara mountains, Tanzania. It is over all a cryptic species. However, males use visual signaling in intra-specific communication by exposing their bright yellow vocal sacs, a trait which is believed they evolve because of their noisy streamside habitat. Being conspicuous may as well pose danger to these animals as they are prone to be easily recognized and preyed upon. Therefore it is expected that wariness can be one of the compensating traits for conspicuousness in Krefft’s Puddle Frogs. Comparisons were made between three groups of individuals: yellow throated males, yellowish-throated females and white-throated females. A second comparison was made between males with differences in throat brightness. In both comparisons wariness was investigated. The results indicate that males which are more conspicuous significantly showed higher wariness than the less conspicuous males. Also, slight differences were found in wariness between the three groups of individuals (but these results were not in all cases significant).It can then be concluded that P. krefftii have evolved wariness as one of the strategies to avoid predation alongside with its evolution of its bright yellow throat colouration.Item Perception of Nigeria wildlife conservation laws among officials of Okomu and Old Oyo National Parks, Nigeria(Wildlife Society of Nigeria, 2019) Coker, O. M.; Ajayi, O. O.; Dada, O. M.This study assessed the perception of Nigeria wildlife conservation laws by officials of Okomu and Old Oyo National Parks. Data was collected from 180 respondents using semi-structured questionnaire. The results showed that the officials perceive that Nigeria wildlife laws are essential for conservation of wildlife and that the laws can stop wildlife exploitation. They however perceived that the fines, penalties and punishment as stated in the law are inadequate to stop illegal hunting with indications that the amount charged for killing wild animals is not commensurate to the offence. Furthermore, the park officials indicated that Nigeria wildlife laws are obsolete and in need of a review. No significant difference exists in the perception of the laws among the parks. It is therefore recommended that; the Nigerian wildlife laws having been considered obsolete by the custodians of the national parks should be urgently reviewed for effective management of wildlife in Nigeria.Item Wildlife rehabilitation centres in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges(Wildlife Society of Nigeria, 2019) Coker, O. M.; Alagi, F. E.Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and temporary care of injured, diseased, and displaced indigenous animals, and their subsequent release after recuperation to appropriate habitats in the wild. The high rate of exploitation and gross misuse of natural resources have led to large scale reduction in the number of wildlife species. Unfortunately, wildlife rehabilitation centres are not adequately available to cater for the needs of sick, diseased, injured or orphaned wildlife in Nigeria. This review assesses the prospects and challenges of wildlife rehabilitation. It also seeks to advocate the need for more wildlife rehabilitation centres in Nigeria. Direct conservation impact, educational, captive wildlife programs, scientific research and epidemiological impacts are benefits of wildlife rehabilitation to conservation. Insufficient fund, inadequate skilled personnel, poor welfare and health standard of the staff are some of the most pressing challenges faced in wildlife rehabilitation centres especially in Nigeria.Item Biotechnology tools in disease surveillance and monitoring in free ranging wildlife: A review(Wildlife Society of Nigeria, 2018) Omonona, A. O.; Oko, P. A.; Adetuga, A. T.; Coker, O. M.Diseases have become an important challenge, with more than 60% of recent emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) increasingly originating from wildlife due to increasing urbanization, hunting, globalized trade, habitat loss and other environmental changes. This continuous treat of EIDs to biodiversity represents a major crisis and challenge for public health, though there is an international agreement to slow down or halt this menace. Therefore, wildlife disease monitoring and surveillance has been increasing in recent years in an effort to identify and characterize emerging zoonoses. However, traditional monitoring techniques remain problematic due to detection of new disease events, identification of the level and distribution of diseases endemically present in a population, and the invasive nature of some survey techniques. Hence, there is an urgent need for alternative and efficient techniques for large-scale biodiversity monitoring. The disciplines of molecular biology, genomics and evolutionary biology, in particular, are providing insights into the origin of the outbreak, transmissibility, implications and virulence of the pandemic strain. This review therefore, highlights improved free ranging wildlife disease surveillance using biotechnological techniques and highlights genetic tools which could have important socio-economic benefits, including reducing long-term disease management costs, protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services.