MBOMBELA, SOUTH AFRICA — Wildlife officials in South Africa reported on Thursday that over 120 endangered vultures perished after consuming an elephant carcass deliberately poisoned by suspected poachers. This incident represents one of the most significant single poisoning events affecting these birds in the region.
According to a joint statement from Kruger National Park and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), an additional 84 vultures were rescued and transported by road and helicopter for urgent treatment and ongoing monitoring following the poisoning, which occurred earlier this week within the park.
“The scale of the tragedy is staggering: 123 vultures were found dead at the scene,” the statement conveyed. The deceased birds of prey included white-backed vultures, Cape vultures, and a lappet-faced vulture, all of which are classified as either endangered or critically endangered species.
The statement indicated that poachers had laced the elephant carcass with highly toxic agrochemical pesticides, a tactic increasingly employed to target species such as vultures and lions, whose body parts are sought after for traditional medicine.
Gareth Tate, the birds of prey programme manager at EWT, informed Vivid Voice News that this was the largest single incident of its kind since 2019, when over 500 endangered vultures died in Botswana after feeding on elephant carcasses poisoned by poachers.
Tate explained that poachers utilizing poison either contaminate a deceased animal with a toxin or use a snared animal as poisoned bait.
“We have seen a massive spike in poaching for lion parts, for which sometimes vultures are the unintended victims,” Tate stated. He further noted that in some instances, these birds of prey are “maliciously targeted” by poachers because their natural sentinel behavior can reveal the location of poaching activities targeting other animals.
