Finima Nature Park: Stop the Hunt, Save the Monkey

We have heard about dragons, watch
fictions of them but as far as we are concern in the 21^st century
none of us have seen one or their relative known as the dinosaur which are no
more in existence. Most times our way of living tends to make animals go
sorting for other cool places to stay where their chances of survival is higher
compare to when they are closer to human who can’t help it when they see or
passive such animals are within their reach.  

So we took a walk down the Finima Nature
Park. A reserved and preserved land for nature activities where visitors can
have a good feel of what nature is all about after being too acquitted with
artificials. And for the creative minds they will find it cool to brainstorm
ideas in such an environment. It is located in one of the blessed lands with
human and natural resources in Nigeria surrounded by long stretches of beaches
and sustained by grace as it is sad that the land is quite below sea level. A
place called Bonny Island, Rivers State.

The nature park was founded and
developed in Finima Town in 1999 switching contract ownership of whom to
maintain the reserved area from Niger Delta Wetlands Centre (NDWC) to Nigeria
Conservation Foundation (NCF) in 2014 the same period they found the dead Whale
rolled offshore. Right from day one it has been a place of countless visits
(although the authorities there take records of people going in and out the
Park) but from our survey we know not less the 3 people visit the Park every
day.

Watch the video on YouTube

On
September 2014 while the rangers were on patrol to make sure people keep to the
rule of “Stop the hunt, save the monk.” On reaching the beach behind the
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Residential Area (RA) built for senior and
some junior staff of the company. They sighted a big body on the ground
and guess it was a Whale because earlier on in 2001 a Whale was rolled
offshore. Although, it wasn’t dead, so people rushed down to cut out meat for
themselves. But to their greatest surprise the next day when they were supposed
to continue cutting the Whale was gone. On getting there it was actually a Whale like
they thought it would be. Some of the rangers were puzzled thinking maybe it could
be the same Whale. However, since it was during the Ebola period in Nigeria the
management of Nigeria Conservation Foundation gave an order that they should take off the
skeleton and dispose other parts of the Whale to be on the safe side because
people are to not too sure if that carcass is Ebola free. As soon as the skeleton
was ready and cleaned with chemical to preserve it they moved it to the building
at the Nature Park’s entry where visitors can see it.

That was why the rangers first it clear to our understanding that Park should not be mistaken for Zoo or museum – although the skeleton of that Whale gives people more reason to visit. Among other animal around we saw: Peacocks, Snakes and Monkeys. These
indeed makes the Nature Park an awesome place to visit any you are in Bonny
Island.