Which Zoos in Nigeria Have Lions?

Two of the three zoos this guide covers keep lions right now. OOPL Wildlife Park in Abeokuta has two, named Aremu and Ade, and Ogba Zoo & Nature Park in Benin City keeps lions among a much larger collection. Port Harcourt Zoo is the one to skip for now: its last lion was moved out in 2020, and the zoo has stayed closed to visitors since. None of the three currently lists a tiger or an elephant.

Which zoo to choose

For a straightforward lion sighting, OOPL Wildlife Park is the simplest option: it's a single attraction inside the Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, with two named lions, Aremu and Ade, as part of a collection the park's own site puts at more than 140 animals. Ogba Zoo & Nature Park is the bigger trip: a 300-hectare nature park established in 1971, with lions alongside chimpanzees, baboons, crocodiles, several monkey species and giant tortoises, plus forest trails and a river beach if you want to make a day of it rather than a stop.

Port Harcourt Zoo isn't a live option for lions at all. A December 2020 report found it down to two gorillas, two monkeys, two crocodiles and ten birds, its last lion having been moved out during the COVID-19 lockdown because staff couldn't feed it. A 2023 special report on the rebuild described its state plainly:

The zoo has remained closed since the previous administration of Nyesom Wike started a rehabilitation work on it.

The Rivers State government has approved N472 million toward rebuilding it, and the current administration has said it wants to finish the project and restock the zoo, so this is worth checking again before you assume it's off the list for good. For now, plan around OOPL or Ogba.

What not to miss

Featured location Ogba Zoo & Nature Park Benin City, Nigeria Set up in 1971 inside a forest reserve in Ogba District, four kilometres out of the centre, it spans 300 hectares of land and water. The animals held include primates, lions, giant tortoises, rock pythons, equines and antelope. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, named it among Nigeria's leading tourist sites.

At Ogba, the lions share the 300-hectare grounds with a wider cast: chimpanzees, baboons, various monkey species, crocodiles, ostriches, large pythons, crested porcupines, peafowls and giant tortoises, by the zoo's own listing. The site also carries the marks of a rough patch: gunmen attacked the zoo on 25 September 2017, killing three policemen and abducting its director, and it has since worked with security agencies to tighten things up. None of that shows in the animal list, but it's worth knowing before you go expecting a purely tranquil visit.

At OOPL, the draw is more concentrated: besides the lions, the park's own highlights are spotted and striped hyenas, a Marabou Stork, pythons and an aviary of several fowl species. The wildlife park opened to the public on 2 November 2017, as part of the wider presidential library rather than a standalone zoo, so budget time for the library's other exhibits too if that interests you.

Tickets and saving money

Both open zoos charge one flat price rather than separate adult and child rates, as of September 2026. OOPL's entry fee is N3,500. Ogba charges N1,000 per person for anyone aged 2 and above.

Getting there

OOPL Wildlife Park is at Presidential Boulevard Way, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State, inside the Obasanjo Presidential Library grounds. Ogba Zoo & Nature Park is on Airport Road, opposite the NPDC complex, in Benin City, Edo State, with a large car park on site. Port Harcourt Zoo sits in the Trans Amadi industrial layout of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but there's little point routing a trip there while it stays closed.

Best time to visit

Both open zoos run daily, and OOPL keeps the same 9am-6pm hours every day of the week, even though the wider presidential library it sits in closes earlier: Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-5pm. Ogba also opens 9am to 6pm.

All three zoos sit in southern Nigeria, where the first rainy season runs from March to June, breaks for a few weeks in August, brings brief rain again in September, then gives way to a long dry season from October. A dry-season visit, from October onward, keeps the forest trails at Ogba and the outdoor enclosures at both parks easier going underfoot.