In the heart of the vibrant chaos that is Lagos, a humble guardian of Nigerian wildlife walks the bustling streets, unknown to many. Dr Mark Ofua, the unassuming hero behind SaintMark’s Animal Hospital, has been waging a battle against the illegal wildlife trade and bushmeat markets. 

A veterinarian and conservationist, Ofua has dedicated his life to saving animals and sharing knowledge on animal conservation. He also rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured and orphaned wild animals. Driven by compassion and on a mission fuelled by the need for justice, he often ventures into bushmeat markets to rescue animals destined for a gruesome end.

Dr Mark Ofua waves goodbye to a pangolin after it was released back into nature. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

Known by some as the “Snake Man of Lagos”, Ofua has saved countless animals – pangolins, monkeys, snakes and birds among them. His endeavours extend to educational workshops on wildlife conservation conducted in schools and communities throughout Nigeria.

In addition to his work with SaintMarks, Ofua is an outspoken advocate for wildlife conservation, speaking out against the illegal wildlife and bushmeat trade while also agitating for greater protection of Nigeria’s wildlife.

With the sounds of a busy city in the background, Ofua spoke with Daily Maverick on the phone and told us where his passion for animals came from.

A pangolin nibbles on Ofua’s ear. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

 “Growing up, I had always been the odd child out… I was a child who would bring home the eggs of animals to hatch them and see what came out. I brought lizards, scorpions… many different creatures into the house, and my siblings were always scared because you never could tell what I’d bring in next.

“At a young age, I think I was four, I had an encounter with a snake – a cobra. I was out in the yard… it raised itself and spread out and I practically froze in fear. I thought that was the end for me because of the stories I had heard, but instead – for what seemed like an eternity – we froze, looking at each other, and then it just coiled up and slithered away.

“It had all the opportunity in the world to bite me, but it did not. I kept wondering why, so I started asking questions and that started my love and respect for wildlife.”

Ofua continued: “I’ve been teaching people to overcome their fear of snakes and it has earned me the moniker, the Snake Man of Lagos.”

A baby pangolin hangs off the shoulder of Ofua. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

With his love of wildlife ignited early in life, Ofua came across information and experiences that contradicted what he had been led to believe about animals.

“I remember I used to have a collection of Gerald Durrell’s books – the guy who founded some of the zoos in America… he documented his travels through Africa and I grew up reading those books. I was fascinated by the animal world and what interested me most was that what I had been told in this part of Africa was almost the direct opposite of the truth…

“We believed, for example, that snakes are evil killing machines and I realised they are not – they are only acting in self-defence. We believe bats are evil, owls are machinations of evil, witches and all that, but I got to realise this was not true.”

The more he learnt and discovered, the more his destiny was charted.

Ofua gives a pangolin water at SaintMarks Animal Hospital in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

Ofua treats an injured pangolin at SaintMarks Animal Hospital in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“I started at a small animal clinic and, at a point in 2012, I took over the practice where I worked and I had an opportunity to follow my interests because now I was working for myself. While this was going on, I began making forays into bushmeat markets – we have them scattered all around here in Lagos – to see what’s out there, purely out of interest.

“Sometimes I’d see injured animals and I would rescue them and take them to the clinic. But after having treated them, I couldn’t keep them. So I would release them. Gradually, I started the animal rescue practice. 

“One time somebody brought a dog to me and said, ‘This dog is too old to continue his job as security’. I asked the guy, ‘Can I keep the dog as mine’? A week later, an old guy came to me and asked for a dog, but said he didn’t want a puppy. He needed something he could keep up with. I was like, ‘Wow, I have the perfect dog for you’. And that’s how the shelter got started.

Ofua’s animal shelter in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“As the years went by, the rescue sanctuary became more and more formalised… we are currently involved in the rescue of wildlife across the country.”

There was one animal in particular that stole his heart.

“I would still go to the bushmeat markets to rescue animals, and that’s when I came across an animal I’d never seen before. It was a pangolin.

“My first experience with the pangolin – when I saw it on the bushmeat trade table – was more like a spiritual moment. There is something about the animal when it looks at you… It’s a soulful moment. It speaks to your spirit.

“In one of my forays into the bushmeat trade, I witnessed a pangolin giving birth on the table and it was a very emotional moment for me. I was crying shamelessly and, of course, the market people were laughing at me crying over an animal. I asked what they were going to do with the baby because it was useless to them.

A pangolin in a cage at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

A pangolin and other animals on display at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“Nobody could buy it, nobody could eat it… they usually just threw them away to die or something, so I asked if I could take it. I took it home and I raised it and that was what gave birth to the pangolin orphanage where we take in pangolins that are born into the bushmeat trade and we take them in… we raise them and then release them into the wild.

“I can tell you that in the last two years, serious law enforcement has been going on with regard to the pangolin because of the awareness that we have created.”

Ofua’s efforts go beyond rescuing and releasing animals. 

His work evokes the essence of conservation, weaving a tapestry of hope for species often overlooked. Through his dedication, he offers not only physical healing, but also a chance for these animals to play a crucial role in raising awareness about the horrors of the illegal wildlife trade and the importance of being environmentally conscious.

He told Daily Maverick why he thought his work was important. 

“The work that I do, I see it as a drop in the ocean. Since 2012 I have been doing this work because of my love and my passion. A new car or a new dress will give you very fleeting happiness, but I realised that when I rescue, treat successfully and release an animal back into the wild, the joy it gives me is deeper and longer lasting… it is something that cannot be described with words. It’s not something that money can buy.

Ofua inspects dead servals at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“I realised that what I was doing was important, so I started training and teaching other people to do what I was doing.

“It is very important to reverse the decline of our wildlife. Through our work, we have hunters who have turned into conservationists and bushmeat sellers who have changed their conception of animals.

“We see a mindset change that I didn’t think was possible in my time, and this made me realise this work is important so that we can reverse the trend and not have all these animals going extinct in our time.

Ending the illegal wildlife trade is a daunting challenge that transcends borders. It’s often driven by demand for exotic pets, traditional medicines and status symbols, or simply because it offers a way to make a living.

In bustling Lagos, this trade thrives in the shadows. 

Ofua’s work highlights the dire consequences of this illicit trade on animals and entire ecosystems.

“People think it’s just me and my passion, but it’s beyond that. The environment, the Earth, you can think of it like your home… When we wake in the morning, we clean up so that when we come home in the evening we have a clean house to live in. The environment is a larger house that we live in, and if we don’t clean it, we will have all the negative effects of living in a dirty environment – a dirty house.

Ofua with a baby pangolin. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“So conservation is something that everybody must be interested in. It behooves everybody to learn how we are destroying the environment, how we’re destroying our wildlife and to stop it and reverse it.

“We must realise that in the long run, it is not the animals we are saving, it is not the plants we are saving – we are saving ourselves. The one who wins is us.

“The one who stands to benefit is not just the environment. I do not save animals or wildlife because I love it. Yes, I do love them, but I love humanity more and we must come together to save our environment and conserve our nature because of our love for humanity.”

In the urban jungle of Lagos, where the animal and human worlds collide, Ofua stands as a beacon of hope and an unsung hero. His work echoes the determination to rewrite the story of wildlife in Nigeria, one rescue at a time. 

He challenges us to consider our role in the survival of wild animals, the ecosystems they call home and what it will mean for the planet and humanity if we get it wrong.

“We have pushed nature to the brink. Covid was just a nudge and we all remember how the world was brought to its knees. If we continue to push nature to the edge, we are the ones who will suffer. The time to act is now. 

“If you leave nature alone, she has a way to recover. We must begin to slow down our destructive acts and attitudes toward nature. I plead with the governments of Africa – because we carry the brunt of it in Africa – conservation and environmental efforts should not be put on the back burner. They must be brought to the frontlines.” DM