Vulture conservation project to target illegal killing and poisoning in Chad.
The nonprofit Sahara Conservation is launching a project in Chad to reduce illegal killing and poisoning of vultures, as part of an EU-funded program centered on the endangered Egyptian vulture.
Sahara Conservation, a nonprofit, is starting a project to protect Chad's declining vulture populations, Mongabay reported. The decline is occurring across Central Africa. The Chad work is part of a larger EU-funded program called LIFE EV Safe Return, which focuses on the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus).
Egyptian vultures breed in the mountains of Southern Europe, North Africa and Asia, then migrate to winter feeding sites in sub-Saharan Africa, including Chad. The project will concentrate on the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and Lake Fitri. Both areas are visited by Egyptian vultures and serve as breeding grounds for critically endangered Rüppell's vultures and endangered lappet-faced vultures.
Indications are that vulture numbers in Chad are falling. According to the report, a main driver is belief-based use, in which people kill the birds because they think the body parts bring luck or misfortune. Last year, poisoning killed more than 100 Rüppell's vultures in three incidents, and several of the birds had been decapitated. Sahara Conservation's investigations and interviews with locals indicated the parts were headed to markets in Nigeria and Niger. Vultures also die from incidental poisoning when livestock owners lace carcasses to kill jackals or leopards.
Program officer Cloé Pourchier said the team plans to train wildlife and environmental authorities in Chad to improve responses and enforcement in poisoning cases. It also hopes to investigate poisonings and run market surveys to map the supply chains behind belief-based use. Community engagement will address misconceptions about vultures and explain their role in the landscape. The team also plans to help livestock owners with low-cost measures such as fencing and visual deterrents, so they are less likely to use poison.
Pourchier said the focus is on Egyptian vultures but the benefits should extend further. "Any action for vulture conservation will benefit all species as well." Nico Arcilla, president of the International Bird Conservation Partnership, which is not involved in the project, told Mongabay by email that Sahara Conservation taking a leadership role in protecting Egyptian vultures could be a game-changer.
At a Glance
- Sahara Conservation runs the Chad project as part of the EU-funded LIFE EV Safe Return program for Egyptian vultures.
- Work will focus on the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and Lake Fitri.
- Last year, three poisoning incidents in Chad killed more than 100 Rüppell's vultures.
- Investigators were told vulture heads were taken to markets in Nigeria and Niger.
- Planned steps include training authorities, market surveys, and fencing and visual deterrents for livestock owners.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.