Nigeria vultures killed and sold as roasted chicken
By Rhishja Larson A disturbing incident in Eket, Nigeria reveals that unsuspecting roadside barbecue patrons may have been eating vulture meat instead of chicken. Hungry buyers tempted by the scrumptious sizzle of meat cooking over a charcoal fire may want to think twice before buying a snack from one of these outdoor roasting vendors. What they think is chicken could actually be … vulture. Apparently, one vulture-roasting vendor’s plan was disrupted last weekend by market officials when it was discovered he had stuffed ten live vultures in a large “Ghana-Must-Go (GMG) bag” – and was planning to prepare them for roasting. According to recent articles in two Nigerian sources, The News and The PM News, the incident started when the vultures, suffering from the heat inside the bag, tore open a hole and attempted to escape. This unusual activity attracted the attention of a large curious crowd – that soon became angry. Eyewitnesses were upset that vulture meat was being sold – and eaten – as chicken, noting that vulture meat is considered taboo by the people in the area. … Vultures are in trouble, and nearly every species (there are 23 species of vulture!) is currently experiencing a decrease in numbers. In fact, conservationists recently sounded the alarm with International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD09), now slated as an annual event for the first Saturday in September. Tragically, exploiting the remaining birds for human consumption adds to the problem – and will only hasten their decline. While the seemingly small incident above involves just two people, chances are that others are doing the same thing. Considering that one man may have been killing vultures for five years, how many of these wild birds do you suppose have perished at his hands – and the hands of others like him? …
