The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has called for an end to the use of vulture parts in traditional medicine practice in the country.
The NCF made the call during a stakeholders meeting with the Ogun State Chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP).
NCF Spokesman, Oladapo Soneye, said in a statement that the meeting was part of the implementation of an ongoing two years Vulture Project funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with NCF.
The Foundation stressed the need for data gathering to help trado-healers associations combat illegal trade in vulture and their parts.
Speaking at the meeting, Soyoye Aniyikaiye, President of NANTMP Ogun Chapter, said the association was committed to ending use of vulture parts in trado-medicine practices.
He appealed to government to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws to ban and reduce vulture trade, depleting their population to the detriment of humans.
It called for the promotion and adoption of plant-base alternatives to vulture in belief-base use.
Earlier, Conservation Desk Officer, Ogun State, Ministry of Forest, Mr Moses Ojelade, said that lack of law guiding against the trade in vulture use was promoting the illegal trade.
He said that the Ogun Government had recently reviewed its Wildlife Law with the technical support of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
“The draft Wildlife Law is waiting to be passed by the State House of Assembly.
“This was necessary because of the outdated nature of the State Wildlife Law which was not as punitive as possible,” Ojelade said.
By Okuanwan Offiong
