Cultural attitudes and human pressure towards vultures around the Comoé National Park, Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

A rapid decline in vulture populations around Côte d’Ivoire’s Comoé National Park (CNP) is driven by cultural demand for traditional medicine, habitat loss, and environmental pressures. Despite the persistence of species like the Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) and White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis), 98.2% of interviewees reported significant reductions in sightings over recent years. Key threats include food scarcity, pesticide poisoning, hunting, bushfires, and the use of vulture parts—such as feathers, organs, and excrement—for mystical practices or medicine. The Hooded Vulture is particularly targeted. This study highlights the urgent need for conservation strategies that balance ecological protection with cultural sensitivity to safeguard these critical scavengers.

Asso, A. A., Koné, N. A., & Salewski, V. (2024). Cultural attitudes and human pressure towards vultures around the Comoé National Park, Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-024-00657-0