A ring of illegal trade in body parts of the endangered Aproparis species, with the aim of being used in black magic ceremonies, revealed the journey of Paschalis, the Asproparis who was born in Dadia in 2013, to Africa.

As reported by the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace, Paschalis was one of the few chicks who managed to reach Africa on his first trip even though he chose the most difficult route, crossing the sea.

Thanks to a transmitter that Paschalis carried on his back – as part of the LIFE+ Program “The return of the Asproparis” – “an entire ring was revealed that illegally traded body parts of the endangered Asproparis for use in black magic ceremonies”.

A satellite transmitter had been installed in Paschal that helped expose illegality in the region between Niger and Nigeria, where vultures and crows are slaughtered for use in traditional black magic ceremonies and celebrations.

In the fall, Paschalis arrived in Africa and settled in the southern part of Niger. The last signal was received on February 27, 2014 from a point 140 kilometers from the border with Nigeria. The next signals received came from a house in a small village. A few days later, the transmitter arrived in Nigeria.

The research conducted by partners of the LIFE+ Program, with the support of the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) in Niger and the Institute of Ornithological Research A.P. Leventi (APLORI) in Nigeria, disclosed that Paschalis had been killed by a vulture poacher who regularly goes to Niger to hunt.

The bird was sold to wealthy clients in Nigeria for use in traditional “witchcraft” ceremonies.

In the region between Nigeria and Niger, Nigerian hunters kill large numbers of vultures and crows for commercial use. According to the data collected, the number of vultures of all species killed for such use is very large. On his last visit, the poacher killed Asproparis Paschalis and seven other vultures.

Paschalis was just seven months old when he was killed and the only one of eight young Egyptian vultures with satellite transmitters to make it out alive during his perilous journey. He managed to cross the Mediterranean and reach Africa.

The other seven either drowned or fell prey to predators. The sole survivor of the long journey had taken up residence in a water hole near the village of Damou Kadi in Niger – the same hole where the poacher’s bullet found and killed him.

The information about Asproparis Paschalis caused the interest of the media in Bulgaria, Greece, but also in other parts of the world. One of the most popular environmental science and conservation sites, Mongabay has published a revealing article about the Asproparis Paschalis and the reasons why the protected birds are killed so that their body parts can be used in black magic ceremonies.

According to the report, after shooting Asproparis Paschalis, the poacher “stacked his feathers to one side, carefully separated the eyes and brain, cut and spread the meat to dry, and cleaned the skull and skeleton. He found a strange cell phone like device stuck to his back but put it aside planning to sell it. The only part he threw away was the intestines.”

The LIFE+ project team (from BSPB, HOS, WWF Greece and RSPB) observed on the computer screen that Asproparis Paschalis’ signal from the detached satellite transmitter was beaming from the poacher’s hideout, to a house in the nearby village and finally under the main road at the border with Nigeria.

In March, just a few weeks after the incident, NGOs sent their staff to the coordinates of the last satellites in the two African countries. The ensuing investigation revealed an extensive network for the trafficking of wild animal body parts worth thousands of dollars.