UNILAG zoology students showcase wildlife for SIWES conclusion

The University of Lagos marked Zoo Appreciation Day with a wildlife exhibition and conservation awareness programme on Friday, October 23, 2026. The event concluded the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme for students in the Department of Zoology.

Themed The Wild Encounter, the exhibition took place at the Faculty of Life Sciences Quadrangle at UNILAG in Akoka. The Department of Zoology organised the programme with the Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative and Egbon Aburo Foundation Limited.

Promoting Conservation

Dr Temitope Sogbanmu, the Head of the Department of Zoology, welcomed participants and explained that the event highlighted practical experience students gained during their SIWES placement at the university biological garden. She noted that the mini-zoo supported education, research, and conservation, adding that zoos promote learning and public enlightenment rather than just entertainment.

Mrs Oluwafemi George, the Director of Egbon Aburo Foundation Limited, said the foundation had expanded its student activities to include wildlife conservation through its work with the Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative. She stressed the need to protect endangered species and urged young people to take awareness messages to their communities to stop the capture, killing, and consumption of wildlife.

Live Animal Showcase

Representing the Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative, Mr Isaac Ituen Ime explained that his organisation rescues and rehabilitates wildlife, returning animals to their natural habitats when possible. He stated that the animals brought to the exhibition were shown strictly for educational purposes.

The display included hedgehogs, rabbits, pythons, a potto, tortoises, turtles, a pangolin, a genet, palm civets, and an African civet. Visitors saw Amarachi, a baby putty-nosed monkey whose mother was reportedly killed by hunters, and learned about threats to sea turtles such as plastic pollution and rising beach temperatures. The exhibition also featured a white-bellied pangolin and concluded with a python that the team had cared for for over five years.