Traditional healing could wipe out Botswana’s endangered vulture population

As first appeared in Okavango Express in Botswana, here. Written by Boniface Keakabetse.

January 19 2023

Protect crucial species and work with the wildlife authorities, healers’ association head says

Botswana is home to five out of eight vulture species: hooded, white-backed, lappet-faced, white headed and cape griffon.

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mage by Casey Allen.

With vulture populations plummeting globally in the last 50 years, a traditional doctor in Botswana has encouraged fellow traditional healers to protect the endangered birds to save them from extinction.

Representative of Botswana’s Dingaka Association, Motsholathebe Rabakoko, has encouraged traditional healers to take up sustainable management and use of vulture products for medicinal use.

Speaking to The Okavango Express Rabakoko, whose association represents traditional healers across the country, confirmed that vulture products are commonly used by traditional healers for medicinal use. 

He explained: “All the organs of a vulture are important for traditional medicinal use. They are commonly used by traditional healers to blend with herbs to make luck giving concoctions.”

Last year 50 white-backed vultures were discovered dead at CH1 concession – close to the western boundary of Chobe National Park – after feeding on a poached buffalo carcass which was laced with poison. 

Poachers harvested heads, feet and internal organs from 10 vultures in what investigators suspected was for resale or use for traditional medicinal use. 

It was suspected that the buffalo was illegally killed before the culprits poisoned the carcass knowing vultures would feed on it. 

The traditional healer said: “We know there is a demand for vulture products for medicinal use. As the association we are doing our level best to undertake public education of all our members not use parts of endangered or protected animals in the traditional medicine practice. 

“We have had engagements with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks on the same subject. We want to send a warning to all traditional healers and the public that harvesting of endangered animals is illegal and whether you are a traditional doctor or a patient using it you are committing a crime punishable by laws of Botswana.”

Rabakoko reiterated that the protection of endangered birds like vultures and other forestry resources was introduced for a reason, positing that their protection could not be used as an excuse to harvest them illegally.

“The reason why the Government has protected vultures is because their numbers are going down due to poisoning related to poaching activities. As traditional doctors we need to be aware that when all the vultures go extinct this will pose a threat to the practice of traditional healing because we need some of their parts.”

Rabakoko pleaded with traditional healers to seek sustainable ways of using vulture products suggesting that they should seek permits. 

“From my experience all parts of a vulture have medicinal use. We usually use the parts for concoctions that give luck. Most of the people who need the fix are business people. Why can’t our healers liaise with DWNP to ask for feathers of naturally dead vultures in the parks, for example?”

According to Birdlife Botswana Director, Motshereganyi Kootsositse, the case of 50 dead vultures was the first time they received a report where parts of a dead vulture were taken out.

Kootsositse said vultures are threatened species and their numbers are very low in Botswana and southern Africa. According to Kootsositse it is compounded by the fact that vulture reproduction rate is low and anything that negatively affects breeding success threatens their population growth.

On the need for public education targeting traditional doctors, Kootsositse reiterated: “Although we don’t haven’t done any work that targets traditional doctors, we do public campaigns every year and address meetings and conferences where we get an opportunity to talk about the need to enhance vulture conservation in Botswana.”

Kootsositse said that generally bird populations in Botswana are stable with the exception of vultures and quelea birds.

“However, we do have endangered species in Botswana top of the list being vultures which face a bleak future if nothing is done to change and make efforts to reduce the dangers they face.”

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.