Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The village of Somita, nestled in Foni Berefet District of The Gambia’s West Coast Region, has been left reeling following a disturbing incident involving the illegal killing of vultures—an act that conservationists warn could accelerate the extinction of a critically endangered species.
Earlier today, a group of children in Somita stumbled upon three individuals using meat to lure vultures before killing and beheading them. The children managed to confront the perpetrators and captured a photograph of one suspect before he fled the scene.
The image is now being circulated in a bid to help identify the man, with local authorities and community leaders urging the public to come forward with any information.
“This is not just an act of cruelty,” said Lamin Jassey, an environmental activist familiar with the case. “It’s a serious environmental crime that threatens our ecosystem and violates national laws protecting wildlife.”
The incident adds to a growing list of similar cases reported across the country. Just over a week ago, on July 29, officials from the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management (DPWM), along with experts from the West African Bird Study Association (WABSa), responded to a mass vulture death in Burufut, Titintu.
There, 44 hooded vultures were found dead in an orchard, all decapitated—a grim pattern that points to ritual or spiritual practices.
This marked the third known mass killing of vultures in recent years, following similar cases in Gunjur and Bonto. In one particularly alarming instance in June, 23 vultures were poisoned in Gunjur. The DPWM has noted that such killings often spike during election years, when traditional rituals are believed to intensify.
The hooded vulture, native to sub-Saharan Africa, is classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Its population has plummeted in recent decades due to hunting, poisoning, habitat loss, and its use in traditional medicine and spiritual rituals.
As nature’s clean-up crew, vultures play an essential role in the environment by removing carrion and preventing the spread of disease.
Conservationists are calling for urgent action, including increased surveillance, stronger enforcement of wildlife protection laws, and widespread community awareness campaigns to curb these killings.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us,” one environmental advocate said. “We must act now to protect these vital creatures before it’s too late.”
The DPWM and its partners are continuing investigations and have urged the public to report any suspicious activity involving wildlife. Anyone with information regarding the Somita incident is encouraged to contact local authorities.
