Conservation experts have warned of the increasing threat of extinction faced by vultures, saying their absence would inflict Nigeria, Africa and humanity with diseases and deaths.

The experts made the call in Lagos at an event organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and BirdLife International where five celebrity ambassadors for the ‘Save Vulture’ campaign were endorsed.

The workshop focused on how to reduce the impact of the illegal trade on the populations of Critically Endangered Hooded, White-backed, Ruppell’s, White-headed, Lappet-faced and Egyptian Vulture species.

Director-General of NCF, Dr Muktari Aminu-Kano, observed that vultures were being “actively harvested” in Nigeria and across Africa for various mystical reasons and that efforts were on by NCF to tackle the menace.

Aminu-Kano said the foundation was carrying out awareness campaign among traditional doctors on herbal alternatives to vultures as well as seeking collaboration of security agencies on enforcement of relevant laws and regulations.

He said, “Vultures are very important, they are our unpaid sanitary inspectors, some people call them garbage collectors but they are beyond just collectors, they are like PSP, treatment plant and landfill all rolled into one because they actually clean up the environment and prevent us from having nasty diseases.

“They prevent the proliferation of pests because they eat up carcasses. If vultures go extinct then we must use very effective and efficient garbage disposal system.

“And by doing that, it means that there will be diseases, there will be deaths, there will be revenue loss to the country and also we will deprive future generations of knowing that vultures ever existed.”

He gave example of India which had upsurge of diseases like plagues and rabies when their vulture population was depleted by 90 percent.

The Technical Director of NCF, Dr. Joseph Onoja in his presentation identified hotspots for the trade in vultures in Nigeria to include Osun, Oyo, Ogun in the south-west and Kano, Sokoto and Katsina in the north.

He stated that that vultures were used for ritual rites to cure madness and evil omen, while its eggs were used for money making rituals and some people consume the meat as food.

The Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, Mr Peter Thomas, said the U.K. has been at the forefront of eradicating illegal wildlife trade which has become the highest criminal revenue spinner after drugs.

“The IWT continues to be a global problem, involving serious organised crime networks and work worth up to 17 billion pounds per year. That is more than 75 countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“If that figure alone is not shocking in itself, if estimates for illegal logging and fishing are included, the figure goes up to £114 billion (pounds). And that is more than 130 countries’ GDP,” he said.

A member of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Emmanuel Bassey said, “Illegal wildlife trade is the 4th most lucrative global crime which is particularly acute in Africa and Asia. It goes as far as N150 billion (Naira) per year which includes both plants and animals.

“Major plants involved in this trade are Ivory, Rosewood, Ebony and Pangolin Scales among others of which volumes of Rosewood still leave Cross River state everyday which affects Nigeria’s image globally.”