Vulture populations have collapsed across Nigeria due to poaching, poisoning, and habitat loss, but a south-eastern town shows signs of recovery. Conservationists and officials report that community engagement and a growing shift toward plant alternatives among traditional practitioners are helping reverse the trend.
The Sacred Forest and the Vulture King of Awka-Etiti
While vultures have disappeared from the skies over many West African cities, the small south-eastern Nigerian town of Awka-Etiti is bucking the regional trend. The town features a sacred forest surrounding a shrine dedicated to a deity known as Nguma. Although the community is largely Christian, some residents continue to observe traditional practices where vultures play an integral spiritual role.
Local resident Chukwuemeka Igwe, who has earned the nickname King of Vulture
through volunteer work with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), explains that indigenous residents do not hunt the birds. Instead, locals offer fresh animal sacrifices at the shrine that naturally attract them. Igwe notes a local adage: Chukwuemeka Igwe stated that when someone offers a sacrifice and fails to see any vultures, it indicates that something has occurred in the spirit world.
Chukwuemeka Igwe stated via the BBC that the missing vultures were nearly back and noted that if someone went to the marketplace at that time, they would see vultures there.
Stella Egbe, species conservation manager at the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), points to this local engagement as a model for community-led protection. Egbe believes that this small, south-eastern town demonstrates what is possible when residents take charge of their local environment.
Poaching, Pricing, and Traditional Medicine Pressures
Across Nigeria, vulture populations have plummeted drastically. While the country was historically home to seven vulture species, recent surveys have recorded only two: the critically endangered hooded vulture and the palm-nut vulture. Primary drivers of this decline include habitat loss, poisoning, and targeted poaching for belief-based uses, traditional medicine, and Vodun practices.
In addition, economic pressures have shifted the market value of the birds significantly. Dead adult vultures in Nigeria that once sold for 25,000 to 30,000 naira ($18 to $22; £13 to £16) now command up to 200,000 naira ($145; £107) per bird.
Eggs and nests are increasingly targeted by poachers—a development Egbe describes as catastrophic for slow-breeding species. Adult vultures typically reach sexual maturity between ages five and seven, producing only one chick every one or two years.
Traditional Practitioners Adopt Plant Alternatives
To combat the high demand for vulture parts, conservation groups have engaged directly with traditional medicine practitioners. Chief Samson Ola Soyoye, vice president of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, acknowledged the long history of using vulture parts in local medicine but emphasized the necessity of shifting practices as populations dwindle.
More than 20 plant species are now utilized in place of vulture parts in certain regions. However, conservationists note that some alternative plants face their own conservation hurdles. The African mahogany tree, known locally as oganwo, serves as an alternative but is currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to sharp population declines. Similarly, the violet tree, or ipeta, faces pressure from overharvesting. The Nigeria Conservation Foundation plans to cultivate vulnerable medicinal plant species within protected areas to safeguard them.
Enforcement Challenges and Regional Divides
Regional variations in vulture conservation largely follow cultural beliefs. Michael Manja Williams, a PhD candidate at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, notes that cultural norms in southern and eastern Nigeria generally prohibit killing vultures, aligning naturally with conservation efforts. Conversely, in northern and western regions, traditional beliefs sometimes link the presence of vultures to bad luck, keeping local demand for parts high.
Federal authorities maintain that regulatory oversight is active but insufficient on its own. Abdullahi Maiwada, a spokesman for the Nigerian Customs Service, stated that officials have executed seizures of protected wildlife and supported prosecutions against illegal trafficking under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species commitments. Nevertheless, Maiwada acknowledged that enforcement requires community understanding to be truly effective.
Stakeholders plan to address these ongoing challenges later this year when regional researchers meet in Abuja to review the West African Vulture Conservation Action Plan. While local successes provide encouragement, conservationists emphasize that much broader institutional and community cooperation remains necessary to secure the survival of Africa’s remaining vulture populations.
