Back then in the 70s, and early 80s, vultures were a beautiful and rampant sights in abattoirs, and town outskirts. When ever there was a dead animal around, they located it first, leading curious eyes of people, to the exact spot where the dead animal was. Children used to fly their kites and were always happy to look in to the sky and also saw the hovering vultures. There used to be six species of vultures in Nigeria, all in their good numbers. In early 80s and middle 90s, the disappearance of vultures became glaring to curious minds, but to most unsuspecting people, nothing seemed to have happened or nothing changed. Only two species of vulture exists today out of the six species; the white-backed vulture and the hooded vulture (Necrosyretes monachus). Hooded vulture, is one of the old world vultures that still exists as others have gone in to extinction in the country. Not many people have noticed their disappearance. Hooded vulture too, is increasingly declining despite its being uplisted to Critically endangered species by the IUCN in 2015.
When I set out to investigate the cause of their disappearance in North -central Nigeria, I had asked different people different questions about when last they saw a vulture. You will be surprised to know that, some people seemed to have been woken from their slumber of noticing their disappearance. "Hmmm, it's true my son, I don't recall when last I saw a vulture around again, unlike in the 60s and 70s, when they competed with butchers in abattoirs for pieces of meat, or even struggling to pull a part of slaughtered cow away." A man had replied me while touching his grey hair, as if in a struggle to think deep and far. Many people demanded to know why they have disappeared. My survey across all the 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau state (North- Central Nigeria), has answered the questions I raised, and which people continue to ask about why the vultures disappeared.
Continue to follow my blog, as we take a walk in to the mystery of the disappearance of vultures in North-Central Nigeria as I reveal all that I encountered, which also scared me; an experience of serendipity and hindsight which was the story of why vultures in Nigeria are easy to be found dead than alive. The story of the plight of vultures in the hands and plot of people. All these, will be the vivid tales of reality; a sober recollection of encounter and observations, in my months of searching for the threats affecting the vultures in the country.
