Conservation group rescues sea turtles caught in nets at Nigerian coastal city and rewards fishermen

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Conservationists and students applauded as three rescued sea turtles, an endangered species in this part of the world, returned to the ocean on a private beach in Nigeria’s economic hub Lagos.

Weeks after the turtles were rescued from fishermen, they were released into the ocean, becoming the latest of dozens of sea turtles rescued by the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative in recent years. This batch was released last weekend.

“To the fishermen, they are just food,” Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers group, told the Associated Press. “There is no knowledge of wildlife.”

Sea turtles, known to play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, are endangered around Lagos, a coastal city of more than 20 million people. There are no figures on their remaining population in Lagos waters, but wildlife conservationists like Mogbo speak of an alarming decline in the number of sea turtles coming to shore to nest.

Wildlife species are endangered in Nigeria

Nigeria, home to abundant wildlife, has 23 “critically endangered species,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The West African country is also a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking, which experts say is driven by pressures from population growth and a lack of awareness about the animals.

“Nigeria’s endangered wildlife faces an extremely critical and continuing threat, on the brink of irreversible biodiversity collapse,” said Mark Ofua, West Africa Representative for Wild Africa.

Conservation efforts are yielding results

The battered sea turtles rescued by Mogbo and his team had been cared for at an endangered wildlife sanctuary in Lagos before being released into the ocean.

“We released sea turtles, then found them captured six months later, and our attention was drawn to them by fishermen,” Mogbo said. “For me, this is a positive turning point.”

Incentives given to fishermen have helped, he said. Fishermen are rewarded with fishing gear if they alert conservationists when their nets catch a sea turtle or if they chance upon a turtle nest on the shore.

As the three turtles disappeared into the water, a group of students watched in awe.

“This is very special to me because I am very passionate about wildlife rehabilitation and conservation,” said Aviel Izedonmi, one of the students present. “Seeing something like this in Nigeria, where it’s rare, shows me how important these things are. »