A quantitative study of diet in three species of rodents in natural and irrigated savanna fields (Wroughton, 1906) from natural, savanna fields in Nigeria, and 528 Aruicanthis and 367 Mastomys from nearby irrigated fields, where Tatera was never trapped. The materials were processed and microscopically analyzed to determine patterns of diet selection. Sites were sampled for vegetative cover and rodent food resources. More than 90% of the stomach materials could be identified to one of four categories: dicots (vegetative), monocots (vegetative), seeds, and insects. Seeds constituted approximately 50% by mass of foods consumed by all species in both sites during the rains. Mastomys (in both sites) and Tatera maintained the same levels of seed intake year around. Unlike Mastomys, the amount of seeds consumed by Aruicanthis was enhanced by irrigation. In both sites during the rains, monocots and insects made up 12-46% and 14-26% of the rodents diet respectively, but their importance diminished in the natural site during the dry seasons. Tests of MANOVA indicated significant species differences and effects of site, season and their interactions on foods selected. A few plant species dominated the vegetative cover, and dramatic differences in the quality of seasonal herbage were observed.

The breeding season and diet of the rat Arvicanthis was monitored from December 1983 to November 1985 in the semi-arid Sudan savanna at Kano, Nigeria, West Africa. Breeding began 1–2 months before the start of the rainy season and ceased at the beginning of the dry season. The diet of Arvicanthis was omnivorous, but with seasonal differences. Monocotyledons and dicotyledons predominated in the diet in the dry season, with seeds and insects increasing in the diet in the rainy season. The major differences between the ecology of Arvicanthis at Kano and on the East African savanna were that in East Africa the breeding season is longer and begins after the start of the rainy season. These and other dissimilarities between the biology of Arvicanthis in the two areas could be due to the effect of climatic differences on food supply and to the possible existence of different taxonomic groupings of Arvicanthis in the two regions.

We investigated the damage and yield loss caused by two rodent species, Arvicanthis niloticus and Mastomys (Praomys) natalensis, in cereal crops in fields near Kano, northern Nigeria from August, 1990 to April, 1992. Using the random cluster technique, we selected 100 clusters of 30 hills in each rice and wheat field, and assessed damage fortnightly, using the Cut Tiller Count method. In premature crops, damage increased from tillering stages to the dough stages. Differences in the percentages of damage (yield loss) in mature rice (4.8% in 1990 and 12.6% in 1991) and in wheat (30.0% in 1991 and 21.7% in 1992) were statistically significant between years. Severe yield losses in wheat, compared to low and moderate levels in rice (grown for the most part during the rains), were probably a result of greater consumption of the wheat, grown entirely by irrigation during the dry season when other rodent food sources were less abundant. Results of ANOVA showed significant effects of developmental stage of the crop, year of cultivation, and their interactions on the magnitude of crop damage.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is produced through human activities and in the last two decades, management of MSW has become a major concern due to considerable increase in its production. The amount of MSW produced increases with economic growth and this demands for efficient solution. This paper reports the characterization and composition analysis of MSW in Kano metropolis. Solid waste samples were collected and analysed from the four major dumpsites in Kano metropolis during the months of September, 2016-January, 2017. The results showed that light plastic had the highest mean values of 8.63kg/50kg sample,

The avian fauna in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa is fairly rich, especially during the rainy season when most of the birds are breeding. However, the frequency of species encounter in the field changes as the dry season progresses. The present study examined the diversity of birds during the three dry months following the rains, i.e., November 2016-January 2017, using point count protocol in four partially protected sites, namely, Bayero University Old Campus, Bayero University Kano New Campus, Audu Bako Zoological Garden and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Checklist records show that 42 individual species belonged to 23 families. Most of these species were common to three of the four study sites, and a few, such as Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, were encountered only at Kano Zoo, a small patch of wetland that contrasts with the other drier sites. The Shannon Diversity Index was highest at the Zoological garden site, 2.76. The Piapiac, Ptilostomis afer was peculiar to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Regression analysis showed no influence of months on the frequency of birds seen. However, the Zoological garden in particular, had significant effect on frequencies of birds (P<0.05).