In Awka-Etiti, Nigeria, residents including Chukwuemeka Igwe, nicknamed the 'King of Vulture,' protect vultures tied to a sacred shrine, even as the birds vanish elsewhere across West Africa. Conservationists say hunting for traditional medicine and Vodun practices, alongside poisoning and habitat loss, has driven African vulture populations down 80-97% over 50 years, with seven species now Endangered or Critically Endangered.
Vultures play a critical sanitation role, consuming carcasses within hours and preventing the spread of diseases like anthrax and rabies; their collapse elsewhere has coincided with rising zoonotic disease risk, according to NCF biologist Stella Egbe. A single vulture now sells for up to 200,000 naira, up from 25,000-30,000, incentivizing hunters even as the slow-breeding birds struggle to recover.
Igwe has spent six years working with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation to mobilize local leaders and security teams against outside hunters, helping formalize protections through local bylaws. Researchers plan to meet in Abuja later this year to review the West African Vulture Conservation Action Plan drafted in 2022.
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