NIGERIA : A picture taken recently shows the office of the Amurum Forest Reserve, where undulating rock formations surround a savannah dominated by lush and tall grass in Jos, Plateau State. — AFP Photo AMURUM FOREST RESERVE, Nigeria, Aug 31 (AFP) : Birdwatchers often go to extreme lengths to spot a rare species, even travelling to the westernmost of Alaska's Aleutian islands.
By contrast, the bird sanctuary in Nigeria's Amurum Forest Reserve, where undulating rock formations surround a savannah dominated by lush, tall grass, is rarely, if ever, on any twitcher's wish list.
More than 260 bird species have been spotted in the reserve covering two square kilometres (less than a square mile) just outside the central city of Jos, including two that are endemic: the Rock Firefinch and the Plateau Indigo Bird.
A serene nature reserve offering so many species, two of which are unlikely to be seen anywhere else in the world, could attract birdwatchers from across the globe.
Yet Shiiwua Manu, who runs the A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute in Amurum Forest, said visitors are rare, apart from a handful of academics.
"If I were a non-Nigerian and I was (travelling) to look for birds, I obviously won't come to Nigeria," the Oxford-trained ornithologist told AFP. "And you know why."
The country has a miserable reputation as a tourism destination, even before the current Ebola epidemic and fears over Islamist violence.
Foreign visitors who are prepared to overlook health and security concerns must still contend with crumbling infrastructure, poor electricity supply and sub-standard leisure amenities.
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