History of Wildlife Society of Nigeria – the idea of forming a Society to serve as an umbrella body for wildlife management practitioners and professionals in Nigeria began on the 5th day of May 2011, when a group of concerned wildlife experts met during the burial service of Late Prof T. A. Afolayan, (one of the foremost Professor of Wildlife Ecology) at Irabon, Oro Ago, Kwara state, Nigeria and resolved that the time was ripe for wildlife practitioners, scientists and people with undying passion for wildlife conservation to have identity and come together as one family and form a society of their own.
Several efforts were made by the National Steering Committee to bring members from all over the country together for a national discourse. These efforts culminated to the birth of Wildlife Management Society of Nigeria with the Society’s maiden conference tagged ‘WIMSON Abeokuta 2017’ held between September 17-20 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The society seek to focus on promotion of cooperation and understanding between wildlife practitioners, policy makers and other stakeholders in biodiversity conservation.
The History of Wildlife Society of Nigeria will not be complete without mentioning the maiden conference was a research oriented conference that brought together scientists, students and field officers as well as wildlife management practitioners and policy makers from governmental, non-governmental, higher institutions, various institutes and centres to deliberates and proffer solutions to questions and issues of common interests to all the stakeholders. The Society was officially formed and inaugurated on 19th September, 2017.