Egyptian vultures migrate from their breeding sites in the mountains of Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, to winter feeding sites in sub-Saharan Africa, including in Chad.<\/p>\n
Sahara Conservation\u2019s efforts will focus on Chad\u2019s Ouadi Rim\u00e9\u2013Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and Lake Fitri, which Egyptian vultures visit. Meanwhile, critically endangered R\u00fcppell\u2019s vultures (Gyps rueppelli<\/em>) and endangered lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos<\/em>) use both areas as their breeding grounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project really aims to tackle the main threats to vultures in Chad, with a focus on Egyptian vultures,\u201d Clo\u00e9 Pourchier, program officer at Sahara Conservation, told Mongabay in an interview. \u201cAny action for vulture conservation will benefit all species as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Indications are that vulture populations in Chad are declining. Like those in West Africa, they\u2019re threatened primarily by demand for belief-based use, where people kill vultures believing the birds\u2019 body parts can bring luck or misfortune.<\/p>\n Last year alone, poisoning claimed the lives of more than 100 R\u00fcppell\u2019s vultures in Chad in three incidents. Several birds were decapitated, indicating they were killed for belief-based use. Investigations and interviews with locals by the Sahara Conservation team revealed the birds\u2019 parts were destined for markets in Nigeria and Niger.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were saying that there were people coming from Nigeria, killing the birds, taking the heads, and going back to Nigeria,\u201d Pourchier said.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch illegal killing is only one of many formidable threats to Egyptian Vultures in Chad, but Sahara Conservation\u2019s stepping up to take a leadership role in their protection could be a game-changer,\u201d Nico Arcilla, president of the International Bird Conservation Partnership, which isn\u2019t involved in the new project, told Mongabay by email.<\/p>\n Chad\u2019s vultures also die from incidental poisoning. Livestock owners sometimes poison carcasses with the intention of killing jackals or leopards, but end up killing scavenging birds.<\/p>\n Pourchier said the Sahara Conservation team plans to conduct training with wildlife and environmental authorities in Chad to strengthen responses and enforcement to poisoning incidents. She added they also hope to conduct investigations into poisoning cases and market surveys to shed light on the belief-based use supply chains operating in the country.<\/p>\n Community engagement will also be key, Pourchier said, focused on addressing misconceptions about vultures and sharing their importance in the landscape. They also plan to support livestock owners with low-cost interventions, such as fencing and visual deterrents, to reduce wildlife conflict and deter them from using poison.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>We see more and more countries in West Africa where there are no vultures anymore,\u201d Pourchier said. \u201cIf we\u2019re not acting, at some point, it\u2019s just going to go from one country to another.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Endangered](\"https:\/\/www.waza.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/gsmp-amur-leopard-cub-wz-1024x684.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n <\/div>\n\n \n