Assessment of hunting activities around Sambisa Game Reserve, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the hunting activities around Sambisa Forest reserve, Borno State, Nigeria. The method adopted for data collection involved the use of a structured questionnaire administered to four communities namely; Bama, Kawuri, Maidumari, and Konduga around the Sambisa Game Reserve. Descriptive statistics were used in analysing the data, and the outcomes were presented in frequency and percentage format. The illiteracy (89%), large household size of 6-10 (47%), age class of 31-40 years (65%), and the use of guns (90%) by the respondents (illegal hunters) greatly influence hunting activities around the Game Reserve. The hunting activities are greatly linked to poverty, as most of the respondents lack conventional education which would have given them jobs with stable income, thereby reducing pressure on wildlife hunting.