Department of Zoology was established in 1962. It is one of the six foundation departments in the Faculty of Science and one of the oldest in the entire University. Over the four decades of its existence, the department has undergone series of changes both in status as an academic unit and in its curriculum development. For instance, over the period of 1969 – 1978, the department, in a University-wide reorganization (notably changing from a three-term to a two-semester academic session, and from non- credit to the credit-unit system) became amalgamated with Botany Department to form the then larger Department of Biological Sciences which was later transformed into the Department of Biology. That Department of Biology eventually split up into two and reverted back to the previous Departments of Botany and Zoology.

Most of these changes were accompanied by some revision in the curriculum of the department, at these intervals. Such revisions were made to meet with the changing trends in the subject matter of Zoology (consequent on the rapid advancement in the global frontiers of knowledge) and to enhance the ability of the Department to continue to meet its set objectives even in changing times. With this adaptation, the department has emerged a leading center of excellence in Nigeria especially in the area of environmental studies.