SPECIES COMPOSITION OF MOSQUITOES IN AND AROUND THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

There is the need to ascertain whether the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan, with the number of visitors it receives daily, could be a site of public health concern, given that it houses a variety of animals which may be potential sources of epizootic infection. This study investigated the species composition and relative abundance of mosquitoes in and around the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan, to assess potential public health risks. Ovitraps, larval sampling, and BG-Sentinel traps were used to collect eggs, larvae, and adult mosquitoes over a period of three months from August to October, 2025. A total of 25,849 eggs were collected, with a very high mean ovitrap index of 97.5% and an average weekly egg density of 322.2 eggs, indicating intense mosquito breeding activity within the study area. From the reared adults, 563 mosquitoes belonging to three genera and seven species were identified. The most abundant species were Culex quinquefasciatus (42.8%), Aedes albopictus (27%), and Culex pipiens (18.1%), while Aedes aegypti, Aedes cooki, Aedes africanus, and Toxorhynchites speciosus occurred in lower proportions. Diversity analysis produced a Shannon–Wiener index of 1.39 and an evenness value of 0.71, reflecting a moderately diverse but uneven mosquito community dominated by a few highly adapted species. BG-Sentinel trapping yielded 52 adult mosquitoes, reinforcing the predominance of Culex species in the area. Overall, the high abundance of Aedes and Culex species—many of which are of medical importance—suggests that visitors, staff, and captive animals at the Zoological Garden may be at risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Strengthening environmental sanitation and implementing targeted vector control strategies are recommended to reduce mosquito proliferation and associated health threats.