Friday, October 20, 2006

Nigeria, Conservation and Tunde


This is one of the funniest things i have heard. I am not sure if its fact or an urban legend but here goes:

An older friend told me last night that in Lagos, a conservation park was established a few years ago. I believe its really close to Chevron in Lekki. Anyway, a huge media blitz followed especially around the introduction of the first and only inhabitant, an antelope called Tunde. Not sure why that name was chosen but i think its safe to say the antelope was a buck. The conservation agency and a whole bunch of expatriates and bored housewives interested in this type of charity got really excited and went on and on about how Nigeria was changing and beginning to care about nature - la di da.

A few days later, a shocking piece appeared in the news. Tunde was dead. Not of natural causes, but he was murdered. Not to worry! Fear not my fellow Lagosians, the culprit had been apprehended as well. Who would have dared to do something so dastardly? Who would have the sophistication and know-how to get past the clever and tight security in place to guard Tunde and the plants with the interesting latin names? Who could be so cruel?

The culprit in custody was a hunter. According to him, he did not understand why everyone was making such a huge fuss over some bushmeat. He said this was food for his family and that he was thinking he could sell parts of Tunde as well. He did the whole Mission Impossible routine and scaled through all the security in place.

The end of Tunde.

Is this true? Who knows as i wasnt in the country at the time. Its a good story though and it had me in stitches last night. Gosh i love this country.

5 comments:

LondonBuki said...

Never heard this story oh...

LOL!!! Only one animal in the park???

As for the hunter, you can't blame him... the security wasn't 'tight' enough so he did what he had to do.

Eyah... poor Tunde...

Unknown said...

Yeah - I was in naija at the time and I read about the story. You can imagine my disgust when I heard 'Tunde' was killed and then 'Tunde' turned out to be an antelope. Food, yes food that deserved to be eaten being called 'Tunde' as if the renaming will deter a hungry man. I take the stand and side of the hunter bo. Conservationist ko, Conservationist ni. Bush meat na Bush meat. LOL!!!

Uzo said...

@Calabar gal: LOL. You crack me up...

kulutempa said...

100% true...i was in naija when newsline covered it...i almost pissed myself laughing!! the way the nigerians standing around were so disgusted at how people are fussing over this antelope, to go so far as to name the hunk of meat Tunde...oh my days! too funny!

Anonymous said...

Nigerians' ingenuity can always be trusted. I haven't eaten antelope meat in a long time and 'they' are naming one Tunde -- my Yoruba name.

If that hunter hadn't been first, I'd have staked a claim to it.