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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
News
Health Minister donates medical equipment to Tamale Teaching Hospital, pledges commitment to reforms
The Minister for Health Kwabena Miintah Akandoh has reiterated government’s commitment to address long-standing challenges in the health sector, describing the health system as one that requires urgent reform and collective responsibility.
He made these remarks during a donation of some essential medical equipment and supplies to the Tamale Teaching Hospital on behalf of the Ministry of Health.
The donation included a wide range of equipment such as ECG machines, ICU ventilators, cardiac monitors, anesthesia machines, infant incubators, and essential
Consumables amounting to about 35 items.
Among the items highlighted were
Emergency Health Equipment (EHE) sets, nebulizer sets, and medical-grade towels.
The Health Minister acknowledged the difficult working conditions health professionals continue to endure and emphasized that government efforts alone would not be enough to resolve systemic issues.
He called for unity across the health sector and urged all stakeholders, including medical doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, to work together to ensure that the country’s limited resources are used efficiently.
He noted that the wellbeing of the ordinary Ghanaian should be central to healthcare delivery, cautioning against practices that marginalize the underprivileged due to resource scarcity. According to him, every Ghanaian life is valuable, and the system must reflect that belief in both policy and practice.
Mr.Akandoh stressed that his leadership approach is rooted in humility, collaboration, and respect for all health workers. While acknowledging that change may come with challenges, he maintained that cooperation is key to achieving lasting improvements in the sector.
The Minister pleaded with health professionals in the Tamale Teaching Hospital to call off the strike and regroup to strategize on more effective ways to address their concerns through dialogue and collaboration with relevant authorities.
The donation to the Tamale Teaching Hospital forms part of a broader national initiative to modernize medical infrastructure and enhance service delivery in Ghana’s healthcare.
News
GBBA treasurer, Aurora Commodore-Toppar eyes GOC Assistant Treasurer slot at Elective Congress on Saturday
The treasurer of the Ghana Basketball Association(GBBA), Madam Aurora Commodore-Toppar, has set her sights on becoming the next assistant treasurer of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) at the upcoming Elective Congress on Saturday.
The daughter of the former Chief Executive Officer of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mr. Emmanuel Martey Commodore-Mensah, will be vying for the position against Bernard Quartey of the Ghana Boxing Federation and Edward Patrick Nii Lante Banerman of the Handball Association of Ghana.
Having had her nomination approved by the GOC’s Electoral Commission, the well-seasoned banker, with over 15 years of rich working experience, believes she is well-suited and positioned to help structure the finances of this esteemed organisation.
In a chat with Spectator Sports, the captain of the bronze-winning 2024 University of Ghana basketball team at the 11th African University Games in Zaire, Nigeria, revealed her commitment to effective and accurate financial management, growth, and development of all associated sports federations.
She said, “I am committed to the growth of the GOC, and I want to offer my financial knowledge to aid in ensuring that the GOC operates with the highest standards of financial governance and set-up.”
According to her, the mission is to help promote the GOC’s agenda widely, and having served for over two decades in sports—especially basketball—in various capacities and roles, she believes this experience will help protect the GOC’s finances.
“If elected as assistant treasurer, I will do my utmost, together with the treasurer, to manage the GOC’s finances, including accounting and financial reporting among others,” she added.
According to her, “Accurate financial record-keeping has been a problem across the board; I will help eradicate this issue.”
Aurora Commodore-Toppar stands for transparency, hard work, and an inclusive work culture, she further added.
The former Aburi Girls’ Secondary School basketball team captain has played pivotal roles in improving sports in the country—especially basketball—including being a member of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2023 Africa Games, an LOC member for the recently concluded Hoop Rave SHS competition, a project lead for FIBA’s “Her World, Her Rules” initiative, chair for the 2024 Fetu Afahye Basketball Tournament, and founder of the Stomp De Yard Basketball Tournament, among others.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
