伊巴丹大学动物园(University of Ibadan Zoological Garden,简称 UI Zoo)是尼日利亚顶尖学府的学术名片,也是西非地区颇具底蕴的野生动物保护中心。它坐落在伊巴丹大学(University of Ibadan)郁郁葱葱的校园内,始建于1948年。成人入园门票目前为 3,000 奈拉,每日早上 8:00 准时开门迎客。这里是很多伊巴丹孩子第一次见到狮子的地方,也是感受西非学术氛围与自然生态融合的最佳去处。
这座动物园最初在 1948 年建立时只是一个为了辅助动物学系教学而设的小型陈列馆(Menagerie)。随着物种数量和科研需求的不断增加,它在 1974 年正式升级为全功能动物园。如果你漫步在园内,会发现不少建筑和树木都带有上世纪中叶的风格。园方在过去几十年间进行过数次大规模翻新,试图在维持自然景观与现代设施之间寻找平衡。目前的占地面积大约有 10 英亩,在寸土寸金的大学城里算是一块难得的绿肺。
进园之后最直观的感受就是凉快。得益于伊巴丹大学(University of Ibadan)校方对植被的保护,园内古树参天。相比伊巴丹市区街头的嘈杂,这里的空气质量和噪音环境要好得多。许多巨大的遮阳树下都设置了野餐点,你可以看到不少本地家庭在休息日带着食物在这儿度过一整天。这不仅是一个看动物的地方,更是当地人逃离都市忙碌的社交中心。
很多游客就是奔着狮子来的。UI Zoo 的食肉动物区是全园人气最高的地带,狮群状态通常很活跃。你可以通过安全护栏观察这些非洲大猫的日常起居。除了狮子,斑点鬣狗也是这儿的明星,那种特有的叫声在清晨或傍晚特别有穿透力。如果你运气够好,赶上饲养员喂食的时间,那种原始的野性震撼会让你瞬间意识到自己正身处非洲腹地。
作为科研型动物园,这里的灵长类展示非常有特色,包括绿猴(Green Monkey)、狒狒以及黑猩猩。每个笼舍旁都配有详细的中英对照标识牌(尽管主要是英文和当地语言),介绍它们的产地、习性和保护级别。鸟类区(Avian Section)则收藏了鸵鸟、鹈鹕、猫头鹰以及各类珍稀鹦鹉。如果你对动物标本感兴趣,一定别错过园内的动物博物馆,那里收藏了包括著名大猩猩 Haruna 在内的标本,进入博物馆通常只需要额外支付约 200 奈拉的费用。
来之前最好准备点现金,虽然尼日利亚现在也在推行电子支付,但门票窗口还是现金最稳妥。成人门票是 3,000 奈拉,穿校服的中小学生大约 2,000 奈拉。如果你带了专业的单反相机或摄像机,甚至是用 iPad 进行大量拍摄,园方可能会要求你支付约 2,000 奈拉的摄影许可费。对于想深入了解动物背后故事的游客,可以请一位专业导游,25 人以下的团队导游费通常在 2,000 奈拉左右。这些价格经常变动,建议出发前通过校园官方渠道核实最新信息。
动物园位于伊巴丹大学校园内的 Appleton Road。如果你从伊巴丹市中心的 Challenge 或 Dugbe 区出发,可以直接打一辆黄色小巴(Danfo)或通过软件叫车到 UI Main Gate(大学大门)。进入校园后,如果你没带车,可以换乘校园内的穿梭三轮车。对于自驾的朋友,园门口有充足且安全的停车位。这里每天 8:00 到 18:00 开放,365 天无休。建议上午 10 点前入园,那时候动物最活跃,气温也还没升到最高。
目前的最新标准是成人每人 3,000 奈拉,中小学生持有效证件或穿校服为 2,000 奈拉。园内部分特定设施如动物博物馆会额外收取约 200 奈拉的小额费用。建议携带适量现金以备购票之需。
普通游客使用手机进行简单的日常拍照通常是允许的,且不额外收费。但如果你携带专业单反相机、摄像机或进行商业拍摄,则必须先获得许可并缴纳约 2,000 奈拉的拍摄费。为了动物安全,严禁开启强闪光灯拍摄。
园内设有专门的零食店和简易餐厅,售卖冷饮、零食以及一些简单的本地外卖。此外,动物园各处分布着多个带有树荫的野餐区,游客可以自行携带食物和饮料在指定区域野餐,但离开时请务必带走所有垃圾以保持环境整洁。
Felicia Lubo This place has always been a fascinating go-to tourist attraction for years. Even though the animal population has significantly declined from the last time I was here, there's still a reasonable amount of animals to see. Gate fee is 1500 per adult and 1000 per child. The tour guides are experienced, polite and have answers to almost all questions thrown at them. Some of the animals still there are Hyenas, baboons, chimpanzee, monkeys, snakes, camel, warthog, lions, ostrich,giraffe and various species of birds. There is a playground for children with just few swings functioning. There is a store outside to buy provisions. Inside, there are vendors of drinks and snacks also. Recommended for visitors.
Dooby Babe Neat environment with a decent variety of animals. The tickets cost N1,500 for adults and N1,000 for children or University of Ibadan students who present an ID card. Tour guides are optional but available for N1,000. You can get by without one, there are posts on the animal enclosures providing the necessary information on each animal. There are relaxation spots scattered around. There is a also a playground for children.
Sarima Akani I was so excited to see the various animals they had in the zoo. I saw a very beautiful lion and a very beautiful giraffe.😏
Keyede Erinfolami Visited here randomly and ended up having a good time. They have a good variety of very interesting animals, good enough layout, and informative tags on each enclosure so you can get by without a tour guide. Luckily, there was one around on the day I went, and he shared lots of fun facts about the animals that weren’t on the cards, so that improved the experience. Tickets cost 1k at the entrance (for adults). I think it was N500/700 for children, and ID-carrying students get a discount. We went on a weekday so there was no wait to get in, but still there was a good number of people inside. I didn’t know it was such a popular destination— it’s likely packed on the weekends. Good experience overall, will definitely return.
Mikhail Ola' Adisa This zoo brings back old memories. Hopefully, it will continue to receive the needed attention to keep the animals alive and the visitors returned. The tour guide did a fantastic job and my kids loved her detailed explanation 👏