Threats to Vultures & Vulture Conservation

[Lisbeth]

[Richprins]

Parasite bastards!

[Lisbeth]

(Same incident as above)

Beheadings and poisoning of dozens of vultures in KwaZulu-Natal points to ‘good luck’ traditional muthi dealers


At least 47 of these critically-endangered white-backed vultures have been killed in a mass-poisoning case in northern KwaZulu-Natal. (Photo: Anel Olivier / Wildlife ACT )

By Tony Carnie | 22 Dec 2022

More than 50 white-backed vultures have been poisoned in KwaZulu-Natal. The latest mass killing brings this critically endangered species closer to extinction in the northern Zululand region.
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Notably, 35 of the birds were beheaded — pointing strongly to the involvement of traditional healers who market vulture brains and other body parts to bring good fortune, boost exam performance or enhance chances of winning the Lotto or horse racing bets.

A recent study on the use of vultures by an association of traditional healers in the Bushbuckridge area of Mpumalanga estimated that this single association of more than 400 healers may use as many as 400 to 800 vultures a year.

The provincial conservation agency, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and the conservation group Wildlife ACT confirmed that 52 poisoned vultures and five tawny eagles were discovered on 18 December in the northern part of the province. Five of the vultures were still alive, while the heads of 35 of the 47 dead vultures had been chopped off.

Earlier this month, national environment minister Barbara Creecy published a draft biodiversity management plan for South Africa’s seven resident vulture species in an effort to reverse their steady rate of decline in most parts of the country.

The exact location of the killing site has not been disclosed because police and conservation officers are working to track down the perpetrators and the suppliers of the poison.

Rehabilitation centre

The five surviving birds were treated at the scene and taken to a rehabilitation centre, but their chances of survival remain uncertain.


The carcasses of the poisoned birds are destroyed in a bonfire to prevent further poisoning of other wildlife. (Photo: Anel Olivier / Wildlife ACT)

The carcasses of the dead birds were piled up and burnt soon afterwards by conservation officials to decontaminate the scene and avert further poisoning deaths.

Brent Coverdale, a senior mammal and bird scientist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, said the deliberate poisoning of vultures for use in the traditional medicine trade was now one of the major threats facing South Africa’s vultures.

“The current spate of such poisonings is unsustainable and will lead to the demise of vultures within South Africa and simultaneously, devastating environmental consequences, and the loss of cultural heritage,” he said.

Ezemvelo said local conservation agencies believed that traditional healers — and the associations they belong to — remain critical stakeholders in the conservation of vultures and have a duty to ensure that such poisonings are strongly discouraged and reported to the authorities.

Writing in the draft vulture management plan published last week, local bird experts noted that more than 90 other vultures were poisoned in the same area between 2019 and 2020. These incidents included 83 white-backed and six lappet-faced vultures, and one white-headed vulture.

“It is believed that the last adult white-headed vulture resident in the northern cluster of KwaZulu-Natal’s vulture breeding population (the area including Mkuze, Pongola and Magudu) was killed during these events.



“These incidents, combined with other environmental pressures, continue to place pressure on the existing population, thereby supporting predictions by McKean et. al (2013) that such populations could become locally extinct by 2034.”

In a foreword to the draft management plan, Creecy said vultures play a crucial role as “nature’s clean-up crew”.

“That is, they do the dirty work of cleaning up after animals die, helping to keep ecosystems healthy as they act as natural carcass recyclers.”


South Africa has seven resident species of vulture. As can be seen from the table, their numbers are dropping fast. (Graphic: Draft Vulture Management Plant, 2022)

The report notes that pesticides are used frequently to poison a variety of animals and vultures for commercially based traditional medicine. It also records that vulture body parts are used to treat a range of physical and mental diseases, or to bring “good fortune”.

“With the rapid growth of human populations, and more effective harvesting methods (through highly toxic substances), with an already declining vulture population, the impact of harvesting for traditional use is becoming more apparent.”

Critically endangered

South Africa has seven resident vulture species, three of which (white-headed, hooded and white-backed) are listed globally as critically endangered — the highest category of threat which indicates a high risk of extinction in the wild.

The lappet-faced vulture is listed as endangered while the bearded vulture has been assessed as critically endangered at a regional level.

Commenting this week on the latest mass poisoning, local traditional authority leader, iNkosi Gumbi, said: “The loss of so many vultures from this area is extremely sad and it affects the health of our ecosystem and the livelihoods of our people.

“As the Gumbi community, we are working hard to establish a conservation-based economy, and illegal activity such as this has a large impact.”

[Lisbeth]

In defence of vultures, nature’s early-warning systems that are holy to many people

February 22, 2023 - Esther Kettel, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

With their long, featherless necks and stern-looking faces, vultures are an easy target for people’s fear and loathing. In books and films, they usually appear as a forewarning of bad things to come. And they are often used to describe someone who benefits from the misfortune of others.

But vultures should be celebrated, rather than dreaded. They are more than harbingers of death. They are a symbol of hope and luck in places from Ghana to Chile to Tibet, and, if we let them, they can warn of environmental change and illegal activities.

There is no denying vultures are on the lookout for death. But this is a good thing. A group of vultures can pick a carcass clean within 20 minutes, meaning that any remains of the dead animal are not left to turn into a breeding ground for pathogens. This recycling process is vital in reducing the spread of diseases, including those that can be transmitted between animals and humans.

One study in Kenya found that where vultures were absent, carcasses are often hubs of infection. In the study, carcasses were placed in areas that were either visible (in the open) or not (under tree cover) to vultures. The study found animals’ bodies decomposed three times slower where vultures did not feed on a carcass. With their keen eyesight and flying skills, vultures can spot carrion faster than land scavengers. By the time land scavengers, such as hyenas and jackals, get to a carcass, it is likely to have been exposed to pathogens for longer.

In some places in India, feral dogs have increased in numbers where vultures have declined, which has led to an increase in human cases of rabies.

Warning signs

Vultures act as a sentinel species, which are animals that are more susceptible to hazards in a habitat than humans. Vultures consume any toxins a carcass may have carried. If these toxins are particularly dangerous, vultures that have fed on the chemical-filled body may struggle to reproduce, become ill or die. In this way, declines in vultures could highlight pollutants in the environment that may be harmful to many other species, including humans.

For example, diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug widely used in livestock, can kill vultures even in small quantities. Diclofenac can also pose a serious threat to aquatic animals, plants and mammals. It was banned in some South Asian countries after conservationists campaigned to raise awareness that diclofenac was the main cause of collapsing vulture populations.

Harmful chemicals have been a major cause of vulture population crashes across Europe, Africa and Asia. In some Asian countries, vultures have declined by 96% in the last ten years.


Vultures are nature’s rubbish disposers. Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

The feeding behaviour of vultures may offer us another warning beacon. Vultures search for food by soaring high in the sky. The presence of large circling groups usually signals there is a recently killed animal on the ground. This circling behaviour may indicate the remains of a poached animal, such as an elephant killed for its ivory or a rhino for its horn. In fact, vultures are often killed by poachers for that very reason: so as to avoid the authorities being alerted to their presence.

Spirituality

Some people associate vultures with morbidity, darkness, and gluttony. But in many cultures throughout history, vultures have spiritual and symbolic value. Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, was the protector of Upper Egypt and represented protection with her large wings.


Closeup portrait of a King vulture with brightly coloured skin and feathers. The king vulture ranges from Mexico to Argentina. Nick Fox/Shutterstock

Condors, a type of vulture found in the Americas, have been depicted in artwork across the Andean region of South America since 2500BC. They have long been associated with power, strength and wisdom. Today, condors are still viewed as the spirit of the Andes by indigenous peoples, and are the national bird of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

In Tibetan culture, vultures are viewed as sacred and holy. Dead community members are often taken to high altitudes so their corpses can be consumed by the birds. Tibetans believe the vultures take the remains of the body to the heavens, allowing the soul to be reincarnated.

In many cultures, vultures are a totem (an animal that acts as an emblem of a family or clan). For example, the totem of a clan in the Akan traditional area in Ghana is a vulture, symbolising calmness and patience.

Symbol of hope

Wildlife is declining at alarming rates globally and, as a wildlife conservationist, it is easy to feel despondent. But one vulture species provides a powerful reminder that conservation efforts can change the fate of species on the brink of extinction.


California condor bird on a rock with wings spread against blue sky. A conservation programme saved California condors from extinction. Barbara Ash/Shutterstock

In the 1980s, only 22 California condors remained in the wild. These last vultures were captured and taken into captivity, and by 1987 the species was declared extinct in the wild. But intensive conservation programmes have led to the reintroduction of California condors in California, Arizona and Baja California, Mexico. There are now at least 200 adults in the wild. This incredible bird is still taking scientists by surprise. In 2021, researchers found California condors can have been known to reproduce without mating.

While this species is not out of the woods yet, the California condor offers a symbol of hope for so many others.

For UK residents, vulture conservation may be an issue closer to home than people realise. There have been recent sightings of vultures in the UK, such as the bearded vulture in 2020 and Egyptian vulture in 2021, causing huge excitement among birdwatchers.

[Lisbeth]

Innovative mobile emergency response unit saves poisoned vultures



03.07.2023

Eight vultures, including six White-backed Vultures, one Lappet-faced Vulture, and one Hooded Vulture that survived a mass poisoning incident in June, were released back into the wild on 1 July 2023 after being successfully rehabilitated. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTCA), which includes the Kruger National Park and surrounding reserves, forms a vulture-rich landscape in which these birds play a critical role. It is also a high-risk area for wildlife poisoning, with at least 796 vultures across five threatened species killed in the area since January 2019. In the GLTFCA, vultures are often poisoned and harvested for their body parts for use in traditional medicine. They also regularly fall as the unintended victims for poisons left out for other wildlife such as lions, hyaenas and leopards, which are also targeted and slaughtered for their body parts, or because they threaten local livestock.

At 14:50, on Youth Day (16 June), the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Birds of Prey Programme Lowveld team, John Davies and Dr Lindy Thomson, responded to a call regarding a wildlife poisoning incident on a reserve in the Greater Kruger area. They were on the road in ten minutes and arrived just before sunset at a dismal scene with one dead and two live White-backed Vultures in grave condition. The team loaded the two surviving birds into crates in the EWT’s custom-made Vulture Ambulance and rushed them to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre near Hoedspruit – arriving at 11 pm. Determined that there were more lives to save, John and Lindy returned with the ambulance at 4 am the following day and, joined by SANParks rangers, Honorary Rangers, and Dr Joel Alves and Isabella Grünberger from WildScapes Veterinary and Conservation Services, they scoured the area for six hours, discovering and bringing more survivors back to the ambulance for treatment as they were found.

The main poisoning scene was deep in the bush, and after the vet, Dr Joel Alves and the EWT’s John Davies treated each bird on site, a team member then carried the birds 3 km to where the Vulture Ambulance was parked. Another six vultures (one Hooded, one Lappet-faced, and four White-backed vultures) were critical but still alive, while 45 vultures, a Bateleur Eagle, a lion, and three lion cubs did not survive the poisoning. The surviving birds were safely delivered to the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, where they were treated successfully by Dr Jess Briner and the Moholoholo clinic team and allowed to recover for two weeks before they could be returned to the wild. Before their release on 1 July 2023, the birds were fitted with leg rings and solar-powered GPS-tracking units that will allow the EWT to monitor their movements and respond to any indication of unusual behaviours, such as immobility, for longer than normal periods.

The EWT Birds of Prey Programme Lowveld team always carry a poisoning response kit in their backpacks, which allows them to perform basic treatments on-site, to give poisoned vultures a fighting chance until a vet can attend to them. With the increase in wildlife poisoning throughout the GLTCA in recent years, the EWT and its donors have developed an essential, custom-made tool to support our efforts to curb the impact of disastrous poisoning events. The EWT’s long-awaited, specially designed Vulture Ambulance was the brainchild of the EWT’s Dr Gareth Tate and is already contributing to the successful rescue, on-site treatment, and safe transport of these wild birds whose lives hang in the balance.

Poisoning events are increasingly happening in vast and often inaccessible areas over a day’s drive from rehabilitation centres. Arriving at the scene of a poisoning incident, experienced responders must administer first aid immediately and stabilise surviving birds. The birds then need a cool, quiet place to rest during the trip to the rehabilitation centre, which can be well over eight hours’ travel from the poisoning sites. In some cases, teams must overnight in the field, where the trailer becomes even more vital - allowing them to monitor the condition of vultures closely and keep them stable. The EWT’s Vulture Ambulance can transport up to 20 birds in modular, easy-to-remove crates that can be accessed without disturbing other resting birds. The trailer includes a mobile clinic, first aid station, water, fuel, and equipment needed to rapidly and successfully rescue, stabilise, treat, and transport poisoned survivors. This has already proven to significantly increase the number of birds that survive these catastrophic events.

The EWT’s Vulture Ambulance is strategically stationed within a high-poisoning-risk area, and we hope to develop more units to service other key sites in southern Africa to help us save many more vultures. This world-first ambulance was made possible with donations made by the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation, Puy du Fou, Gauntlett Conservation Trust, Geants du Ciel, Bushwakka Adventure Trailers, Blue Sky Society Trust, BEWILD, Branfere, and Alu-Cab.

[Lisbeth]

The Endangered Wildlife Trust

There aren’t very many scavengers that can do what vultures do – especially when it comes to removing dangerous diseases from the environment. But many of Africa's vultures are either critically endangered, or endangered. Here’s how the Endangered Wildlife Trust is using their wealth of knowledge to drive conservation of these birds

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[Richprins]

Devastating impact of poison, snare poaching at Kruger National Park


20 March 2024 - 09:00
Phathu Luvhengo Journalist






Kruger National Park ranger Joe Nkuna says they had to burn more than 80 carcasses of vultures which died after eating a poisoned carcass.
Image: Phathu Luvhengo/TimesLIVE

A devastating scene of about 86 dead vultures not only shocked ranger Joe Nkuna but left him with many questions.

Nkuna didn’t understand why such a horrific act happened on the verge of the end of his 29-year career at the Kruger National Park (KNP).

When the KNP received a call from Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre about a tracked vulture which wasn’t moving, Nkuna delegated his team of rangers to track the GPS location to establish why it wasn’t moving.

“They gave us the GPS coordinates. I gave them to my guys so they could see what was going on with the vulture,” said Nkuna, the South African National Parks (SANParks) KNP ranger who will retire at the end of March.

“When they got here, they found there was a snared buffalo. Poachers managed to harvest some meat from the buffalo and laced the leftover carcass with poison. When vultures came to clean up [the carcass], the carcass killed them.

“They radioed me. I drove all the way here [to the scene in Mooiplaas section]. I had to organise police to come and attend the crime scene. It was terrible. We lost about 86 vultures and a hyena.”

The passionate nature conservationist said he didn’t know if the poachers harvested body parts of the vultures or hyena. He said when they arrived at the scene the animals had decomposed.

“After the investigations were done, we were given the go-ahead to burn the remains of the vultures,” he said.

During a media tour on Tuesday, SANParks regional ranger Don English and section ranger Richard Sowry briefed journalists about the impact and pressures of poaching in the park.

“If you poison a carcass, anything that goes to the carcass is going to be affected. If you put a snare, anything that walks will be affected,” said English.

He said population growth in areas adjacent to the park and socioeconomic challenges such as poverty, unemployment and crime syndicates have contributed to the increase in poaching.



SANParks regional ranger Don English and section ranger Richard Sowry briefed journalists about the impact of poaching in the park.
Image: Phathu Luvhengo

English said poaching in the northern side of the KNP was different to other sections not only in terms of the targeted species but also the methods used by poachers.

"We are hit primarily by snare poachers and poisoning and there was quite a bit of livestock smuggling through the park. We managed to stop smuggling with efforts from Pafuri section rangers and communities. We are working very closely with the community to curb poaching.

"We have been caught up in rhino poaching. Rhino poachers come in and shoot maybe two or three rhinos.

"We conserve for biodiversity. We should have equalised all species. I think that's how we must look at it. Rhino poaching is targeting a species and that causes devastation."

English said there appears to be a concerted drive by poachers to exterminate the vulture population because the carrion-eating birds detect carcasses.

"We have lost close to 2,000 vultures in the past few years. It has seriously impacted on the ecology of vultures."

TimesLIVE


https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/sout ... onal-park/

[Lisbeth]

As they know more or less where the snaring takes place, can't they put up hidden cameras or improve the patrolling

[Richprins]

Sowry actually used some of our cameras, Lis!

[Lisbeth]

Was that in Kruger?