Vultures, known for their unique ability to consume animal carcasses and reduce disease outbreaks, are one of the most efficient scavengers on the planet. In West Africa, particularly Nigeria, their populations have plummeted due to commercial poaching and traditional beliefs that prize vulture parts for traditional medicine. Many historically common species have been locally extirpated, and remaining species are declining sharply.<\/p>\n
Ornithologist Michael Manja Williams has experienced this decline firsthand. Growing up in Plateau State, Middle Belt Nigeria, he recalls seeing committees of vultures on rooftops, only to witness their sudden disappearance. This sparked his curiosity, leading him to conduct research surveys across 18 Nigerian states and pursue a lifelong career in vulture conservation.<\/p>\n
A Ph.D. student at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University and coordinator for endangered species conservation at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Williams leads research on endangered bird species and wildlife. In an interview with Mongabay, he shared insights from his field studies, the shifting perceptions of vultures among younger generations, and the need for policy reforms and community-based conservation.<\/p>\n
Williams has studied vultures for 9-10 years. He met many people who questioned why anyone would study vultures, viewed as dirty or associated with witchcraft. In many rural communities, vultures are perceived as witches or wizards because they feed on carcasses, including human remains. Some believe vultures cause illnesses, mysterious deaths, wars, and conflicts.<\/p>\n
In parts of southwestern Nigeria, people reported killing or chasing away vultures to prevent misfortunes. Williams interviewed traditional healers across the north and west of Nigeria and found vulture parts\u2014head, heart, legs, nest, and feces\u2014used in traditional medicine. As vultures disappeared locally, healers traveled to the south to obtain them.<\/p>\n
To counter these beliefs, Williams and his team collaborate with local communities. In Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, they trained locals as Vulture Guardians. These guardians sensitize communities in local dialects and provide feedback to track vultures. Persuasion involves meeting stakeholders (village heads, youth leaders), allowing them to voice their views, then introducing scientific explanations in accessible ways.<\/p>\n
Traditional healers are used to talk to other healers, and secondary school children are targeted because they are open-minded and often share information with their parents. Research showed broader acceptance among younger Nigerians, who are curious and ask more questions, while older generations are slower to shed superstitions.<\/p>\n
Security is the primary challenge for wildlife research in Nigeria. Williams has traveled across 18 states but cannot access some areas, relying on proxy researchers. Another challenge is the disparity in belief systems: in the far south, beliefs tend to protect vultures, while in the north and west, beliefs harm them.<\/p>\n
Despite daunting challenges, Williams remains optimistic. He sees young people learning about vultures, embarking on self-sponsored projects, and expressing interest in conservation. Nigeria now has a law-reform process that could favor vulture protection. With combined efforts from researchers, policymakers, and locals, Williams believes vultures can be resuscitated across communities.<\/p>\n
Success, for Williams, would be a shift in perception away from superstitious beliefs, followed by an increase in vulture populations. Collaboration with local stakeholders who still have vulture populations is essential.<\/p>\n
This interview was conducted by Mongabay and has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ornithologist Michael Williams discusses cultural beliefs, Vulture Guardians, and the critical decline of vultures in Nigeria across 18 states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":551,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550\/revisions\/551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}