News
Vultures: Natural cleaners of the environment
The Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) has identified “intentional poisoning” and killing of vultures as part of reasons for the decline in vulture population across the country.
Though it is considered “illegal” per the Wildlife Acts in many jurisdictions, the society said some individuals and communities continued to consume vulture meat while also trading in its parts for ritual purposes.
Mr Thomas Gyimah, Acting Manager, Biodiversity Research and Conservation at the Ghana Wildlife Society told The Spectator in an interview that vulture eggs, feathers, and other parts were being sold at exorbitant prices for ritual purposes.
“Some whole or dried vulture parts are sold close to GH¢2,000 and people are making money from them. People have confirmed killing and using vultures as a delicacy and there are vulture restaurants in parts of the country, he noted.
This, among other factors, according to him, was fast making vultures a critically endangered species, especially in Ghana.
Speaking ahead of the International Vulture Awareness Day which comes off today September 5, 2020, Mr Gyimah explained that, scavengers including vultures played an important role in the environment, hence the need to conserve the remaining species available.
According to him, vultures were often considered as “dirty animals” because they fed on carcasses, nonetheless it is supposed to be the “cleaner of the environment”.
“Their digestive system is so strong that they could quickly devour large amounts of flesh and their stomach acids neutralise pathogens, so they are able to digest them and it does not come back to the environment, they are disease control agents and environmental cleaners,” he explained.
This, he said, was very vital in the containment of bacteria and diseases such as anthrax and rabies.
Mr David Daramani, Principal Programmes Assistant, Ghana Wildlife Society also insisted that without vultures, foul smelling carcasses would likely linger longer, insect populations would boom, and diseases would spread to people, livestock, and other wild animals and this would have dire repercussion on the country.
He said the birds had been starved in their habitat over the years, therefore they had adapted to coming closer to human settlements to find food to survive.
He, however, lamented that some people had turned to killing and consuming it as their preoccupation — a situation he noted had caused a decline in the population of the birds and “if nothing is done we can lose them all”.
Mr Gyimah confirmed that there were about seven species of vultures in Ghana and four out of those species were endangered.
“Their population has dwindled to the extent that, nobody seem to care about them and we need to do something to save them. We must be prepared to battle diseases and other environmental challenges when vultures are extinct,” he also noted.
The wildlife official highlighting other threat to vultures, said the use of household and industrial chemicals also contributed to the “unintentional poisoning” of vultures.
He observed that electrocution on pylons as well as deforestation had affected vulture habitat and their reproductive ability, hence the need to intensify efforts at conserving the animals. He said because vultures laid only few eggs every year or two, their populations were usually few.
Mr Gyimah has therefore appealed to the public to stop killing vultures or buying its parts, as there was no scientific proof that vulture parts could treat any disease or even possessed any magical powers.
He also urged government to help enforce the Wildlife Act and its specific aspects that protected vultures, adding that, the society as part of the awareness day, intended to identify areas in the country where vultures were still available and try to protect them.
As part of the activities, citizens were asked to take pictures of vultures they saw and send them to the GWS social media handles to aid in locating and identifying the species.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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