Vultures have no medicinal properties, but they are sought-after by traditional healers for belief-based uses such as retrieving stolen goods, bringing back lost lovers and acquiring intelligence or good fortune.
This is a finding in a study on the use of vultures in traditional medicine in KwaZulu-Natal and the conservation implications which has secured Dr Nomthandazo Manqele a PhD in ecological sciences.
Manqele is set to graduate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
Her research, funded by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi), looked specifically at the use of vultures, the most threatened group of raptors in the world, by traditional healers and focusing on study sites in Zululand.
“In vultures people have observed what they interpret as a ‘sixth sense’ or clairvoyant ability as the birds detect the presence of carcasses across huge distances. This perceived quality, and the increasing scarceness of vultures, makes them a sought-after element in traditional medicine,” Manqele found.
She said her research was challenging but enlightening as she encountered traditional healing practices that were unfamiliar to her, seeing slaughtered endangered animals, and in some cases interviewing people involved in the illegal trade.
Manqele found people were intrigued by vultures and did not want them to disappear as they acknowledged them to be part of their natural heritage and their value in clearing the environment of carcasses, as well as their importance in traditional medicine.
She also explored hunting practices and found the raptors were being lured out of protected areas to be poisoned or shot.
On completion of the study, Manqele provided feedback to tribal authorities and contributed to the drafting of a management plan for vultures with the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment.
This strengthened her drive to contribute to conservation that meets the needs of people and wildlife.
Wildlife was not a feature in her childhood as she grew up in a semirural setting in Adams Mission outside Durban.
However, a school excursion to the Umbogavango Nature Reserve cemented her desire to pursue a career in natural sciences.
She enrolled at UKZN after matriculating at KwaMakhutha Comprehensive High School.
Manqele was accepted for a bachelor of social sciences in environmental management. She progressed to do a bachelor of science honours in geography and environmental management, after which she undertook an internship with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife that provided her with more conservation skills and reinforced her desire to pursue a career in nature conservation.
She completed her master’s degree at UKZN funded by Sanbi.
In the study she assessed the drivers and impact of illegal hunting for bushmeat and trade, particularly on the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Supervised by Prof Trevor Hill, she interviewed hunters who killed the animals for their skins and meat and use in traditional medicine.
Manqele has worked as an ad hoc lecturer in human geography at UKZN and has taken up a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Vaal University of Technology this year to examine the impacts and evidence of climate change at World Heritage Sites and the implications for tourism.
During her most recent research, Manqele became aware of other issues such as stock theft that affect livelihoods, motivating her to pursue research that “results in action and solutions to problems that people in rural areas face”.
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