Abstract

Between January and July 2022, semi-structured questionnaires were delivered through interviews with randomly selected respondents in Ogbadibo and Ogbokwu Local Government Areas of Benue State, Nigeria. The study’s goal was to investigate people’s perceptions of vultures, whether they were ugly or good animals, whether vultures should be saved or not, factors contributing to vulture population declines, and ethno-cultural usage of vultures and vulture parts. Out of 450 respondents from each Local Government Area, 382 (85%) and 364 (81%) respondents described vultures as ugly animals that cannot be used for anything good. 409 (91%) and 400 (89) respondents said they have observed rapid decline in vultures population over time. 409 (91%) and 319 (79%) had no idea on why vultures should be conserved and out of the five factors identified as the most prevailing reasons for decline in vultures population, habitat destruction had the highest respondents in both LGAs, with  261 (58%) and 279 (62%) respectively.  Skull, feathers, hearth, bones, eggs, brain, eyes and wings are the vulture parts believed to be used for ethno-cultural purposes in the LGAs while healing, clairvoyance, ritual and magic were identified as the major ethno-cultural uses of vultures. The study recommends conservation education and public awareness on the importance of vultures to the environment and the need for collective efforts in saving the remnants of vultures.