Why we must preserve vultures – Minister

The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has advocated for change of perspectives by Nigerians on what vultures are and also learning how to preserve them for environmental sanitation and healthy living.

 Mohammed made the call while delivering the 15th Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture titled, “Decline of Vultures: Consequences to Human Health and the Economy”. The lecture was organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in Lagos.  The minister said it was unfortunate that many Nigerians have erroneous impression about the roles played by vultures, which were in some cases cultural belief that vultures were agents of deaths.

 “Perhaps a case of judging the book by its cover; vultures are often misunderstood because they are seen as scavengers and often associated with death. It often starts from childhood when cartoons depict them as hovering and menacing, or parents use them to scare children into good behaviour,” she said.

 “So, from a young age they are etched in our minds as something to do away with; that would not be missed; that we would be better off without.

However, this is very far from the truth. “Vultures play a very crucial role in maintaining a healthy environment and the well-being of humans. Vultures do not hunt live prey, but act as scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of dead animals,” she said.

The minister noted that given their large sizes and their dependence on high wildlife density, vultures indicate ecosystem health because they provide essential ecosystem services to society in both urban and natural areas globally. “They are nature’s most effective garbage disposal system often referenced as ‘Nature’s clean-up crew’.‎ It is estimated that a single vulture provides a scavenging benefit worth around US dollar 11,600 per year (AMCEN, 2016),” she said.

 She said for Nigerians to live healthier lives, they must ‎find a way of preserving and not poaching vultures, adding that there must be sustained re-orientation for the populace as to the good purposes the preservation of vultures served.

 “We need to raise awareness especially in our schools (catching them young) and improve the status of vultures.