A wildlife veteran hunter, Elder Ahmewhule Solomon, has called for the mitigation of the sales of forest lands in Rivers State to encourage the return of wildlife to the forests.
The 66-year-old hunter said incessant sale of forested lands by indigenes and the absence of proper town planning for modern day development were inimical to forestation.
Omagwa community in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State is the host of the Port Harcourt International Airport and a hub for the sale of hunted wildlife to hoteliers and restauranteurs. There are also clusters of hangouts, hotels and restaurants where wildlife meat pepper soup are sold to lovers of wildlife meat connoisseurs.
Elder Ahmewhule spoke to National Point correspondent to commemorate this year’s World Wildlife Day.
The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2013 declared, March 3 as United Nations World Wildlife Day. This day holds significance as the day to encourage the preservation of lives of endangered species of wild fauna and flora as signed in 1973.
This year’s theme is, “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in people and planet.”
Elder Ahmewhule is a native of Omuwene Omuketu village in Omagwa community of Ikwerre Local Government Area in Rivers State. He said he started hunting wildlife at the age of 12. He said though his father was a hunter, he did not learn hunting from him, saying it was his interest in hunting that spurred him to learn wildlife hunting by himself.
He said, “It is a hobby just like fishermen, but we the upland people, if you have the interest to become a hunter, you will prepare yourself to become a hunter. Someone will coach you about the hunting game before you become a hunter, somebody that knows more than you do.
“You will go with the person for hunting experience for one or two months before you stand on your own. There are certain things you see in the forest, that you will not disclose to another human, not even your fellow hunter. We see so many things in the forest, especially at night hunting.
“I made up my mind to be a hunter. I moved alone into the forest to hunt wildlife and I succeeded the first day. After two days, I went again and I succeeded. So that was how I mastered the game of hunting.
“People say hunting is dangerous, but it is not dangerous. If you master the game of hunting, mainly night hunting, any movement made by any living mammal, you will know, either during the night or day hunting.”
The wildlife veteran hunter said the animals he hunted most were antelope, leopards, wild bush pigs, grasscutters, porcupines, monkeys.
He pointed out that there is a lot of money to be made from not just hunting but in selling hunted wild animals.
He said the wildlife that’s mostly found in their forests are leopards, wild bush pigs, antelope, porcupine, grasscutters, squirrels, monkeys, adding that eagles and ravens have clusters around the airport axis.
He said decades ago, especially before the Nigeria civil war, elephants, lions and tigers existed in their forests.
He disclosed that Fulanis were hired to kill the few elephants that existed in their forests. He further disclosed that lions migrated out of their forests when hunters started killing them decades ago.
On his part, another wildlife meat seller Wejor (as he is popularly called), encouraged Rivers State citizens at all levels to minimize the cutting down of ancestral trees and reduce the sale of ancestral natural lands to discourage deforestation and the emigration of some animals.
