Threats to Vultures & Vulture Conservation

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Re: Vultures - Bird of the Month January 2015

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Saving vultures across the world

26 February 2015
The sight of more than 200 vultures circling hundreds of metres up in the sky is a picture not many get to experience anymore. But not very long ago vultures flew freely in abundance.

As recently as the 1980s, the Oriental white-backed vulture was considered one of the most prominent bird species in the world, with numbers almost on a par with what one would expect for the common pigeon. In India, Pakistan and Nepal, vulture populations soared to over 10 million. Culturally, cattle in these areas are regarded as sacred and are left to die only from natural causes. The abundance of food in the form of cattle carcasses was one of the main reasons why the South Asian vulture population was growing exponentially.

Over the years, however, researchers began noticing a decline in the number of vultures, with the population dropping from over 10 million to fewer than 10 000 in a 10-year period. The reasons for this extraordinary drop were at first unknown. A series of investigations into possible causes led to the discovery that non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) present in the meat of cattle carcasses were responsible. To relieve aged cattle from any physical pain, cattle owners were treating them with the NSAID diclofenac, commonly known in South Africa as V o l t a r e n. The contaminated meat consumed by the vultures was causing renal failure and subsequent death. This secondary exposure to diclofenac was proving enough to kill vultures, resulting in their massive decline to an alarming level.

With the threat of extinction too close for comfort, conservationists realised something had to be done urgently. The steps that followed to save the species were not without obstacles. Because vultures had always been plentiful, there was no captive breeding programme in place. Vultures were not even found in local zoos. Testing birds to better understand the reasons behind the toxicity of diclofenac was therefore not possible. Furthermore, diclofenac had to be removed from the market, but with the sanctity of cattle far outweighing the perceived status of vultures, this was no easy task. Nevertheless, after much deliberation, authorities agreed that diclofenac could be removed from the system if a suitable alternative could be found.

It was after these inhibiting factors presented themselves that the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria (UP) became involved. Considering that the African white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) is very similar to its South Asian cousin, the Asian white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), UP concluded that South Africa’s local vultures would also be susceptible to certain NSAIDs. As part of an international team committed to saving the South Asian species, UP, in partnership with an NPO that runs a vulture conservation programme headed by Kerri Wolter, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), had the testing facilities as well as captive vultures available to do the necessary tests.

Prof Vinny Naidoo, director of UP’s Biomedical Research Centre (UPBRC) and specialist veterinary pharmacologist with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), has led the way to find suitable NSAID alternatives that would be safe for vultures. For the past few years, Naidoo has been conducting a range of tests on the effects of alternative drugs, continuously supplying information to international governmental authorities. His research is funded mainly by the RSPB. A series of initial tests are conducted in the Faculty’s laboratories, first ensuring that drugs are safe in lab conditions before testing them on live birds. Once this has been determined, testing takes place at the Vulture Conservation Programme (VulPro) where captive birds are selected and given meat laced with alternative drugs. In a final test, the vulture is then dosed directly to see if and how it is affected.

Naidoo’s successful identification of suitable NSAID alternatives such as meloxicam induced the governments of India, Nepal and Pakistan to change their policies and prohibit the use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine. Diclofenac was also no longer allowed to be manufactured in or imported into their countries.

Naidoo has remained actively involved in finding suitable alternatives of NSAIDs. His most recent discovery is the highly toxic effects ketoprofen has on vultures. This has led to the Bangladesh government starting the process to have ketoprofen phased out for veterinary use. His research has had a significant effect not only on the preservation of a bird that was rapidly plummeting into extinction in southern Asia, but has also resulted in the South African government issuing a moratorium on veterinary diclofenac. While diclofenac has never been registered in South Africa, Naidoo’s results have prompted the country to take the necessary preventative measures. His findings also formed part of a paper that highlighted the dangers of veterinary medicines to the environment, published in the world-renowned journal Science at the end of last year.

For the first time since 2002, the South Asian vulture population is recovering, Naidoo says. While it will never return to millions, populations are at least no longer decreasing. Naidoo credits the rise of populations to the removal of these dangerous NSAIDs. His quest continues as part of an international team lobbying for the banning of diclofenac and other harmful NSAIDs in countries where vultures occur and these drugs are registered, such as Spain.

While vultures have long been unfairly regarded as being ugly and dirty, what people often fail to realise is their fundamental role in a thriving ecosystem. Without vultures, animal carcasses will go uneaten and be left to rot in the sun, constituting a breeding ground for pests and infectious diseases such as anthrax and posing a great threat to human health. The importance of an abundance of vultures therefore goes far beyond the picturesque sighting of over 200 vultures circling above.

- Author Louise de Bruin


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Re: Vultures - Bird of the Month January 2015

Post by Alf »

Is it just me but whenever we pass Satara heading north we see vultures sitting in the veld about 100m in on your left side. Is that maybe a vulture program or something happening?


Next trip to the bush??

Let me think......................
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Re: Vultures - Bird of the Month January 2015

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We also always see them there Alf. -O-


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Re: Threats to Vultures

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African vultures are nearing extinction due to elephant ivory poachers

African vultures,the silent victims of wildlife poaching, are now nearing extinction in some regions, according to new research by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) vulture specialist groups. Seven African species have declined at a rate of 80% or more over three generations—a result of poachers poisoning the carcasses of poached elephants and rhinos.

Warning system
Poaching is now a global threat to ecosystems and biodiversity. The rapid increase in elephant and rhino poaching throughout Africa has led to a substantial increase in vulture mortality. Poachers poison carcasses to eliminate vultures, whose overhead circling might signal their presence or the carcasses they leave behind.

Beckie Garbett, a conservationist in Botswana, explains: “As soon as an animal is on the ground, vultures start circling in the sky. Sometimes there can be 200 birds in the sky. This may draw the attention of anti-poaching patrols and rangers.” In order to avoid detection, poachers deliberately poisoned carcasses so that vultures can stop directing attention to their illegal activities.

Here is the math: Vultures can locate an elephant carcass within 30 minutes of the animal’s death. It usually takes 45 to 70 minutes for the most skilled poachers to hack off two elephant tusks, and when vultures gather overhead rangers can get that much closer to apprehending the perpetrators.

Lax regulations
Poisoning by poachers has been identified as by far the biggest threat to Africa’s wildlife and ecological systems. But many countries don’t have appropriate legislation in place to control or prevent the indiscriminate use of poisons or pesticides. Penalties are often minimal, and do not act as a deterrent to the perpetrators. In recent years prosecution of wildlife poisoning incidents involving vultures has taken place in South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. But the majority of poisonings go unreported.

Darcy Ogada, one of the lead researchers who contributed to the report, and an associate director at The Pregrine Fund in Nairobi, says there are no specific policies to protect vultures in Africa: “The most significant policy issue is surely the tightening and enforcement of existing regulations in regards to the easy accessibility of highly toxic pesticides (e.g. carbofuran, aldicarb) and other poisons (notably cyanide and strychnine in certain countries).”

Many of these pesticides have been banned or their use severely restricted in countries such as Canada, the UK and the US—but they remain legal for use in Africa. If this problem is to be brought under control, there need to be stringent regulation and control over the distribution of pesticides.

In principle, it is illegal to hunt wildlife using poisons in 38 African countries. But imposing the rules is difficult because of a lack of political will, lax regulation, corrupt officials, and poor enforcement systems. North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) have the weakest legislation against wildlife poisoning.

Recycling waste
Vultures are part of the natural waste management system. Not only do they help to reduce disease transmissions, but they also dispose of organic waste in Africa’s towns and cities.

“Basically, when you lose vultures, you often get more ‘undesirable’ scavengers at carcasses (e.g. feral dogs, rats) and because they are not highly adapted scavengers, as vultures are, these undesirables have been linked to an increase in rabies transmission,” says Ogada.

And by picking clean the carcasses of dead animals, vultures indirectly keep the numbers of feral dogs and rodents in check. In turn, this reduces transmission rates for diseases like rabies. In India, it has been estimated that the loss of vultures has cost the nation $34 billion due to increased healthcare costs associated with rabies. The cost for fragile African economies could be more devastating.

June 24th, 2015 |


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Re: Threats to Vultures

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The circle of death!! :evil: :evil:


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Re: Threats to Vultures

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Locusts! :evil:


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
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Re: My best Vulture pic ever - IVAD 2015

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INTERNATIONAL VULTURE AWARENESS DAY, 05 SEPTEMBER, 2015 !
[The first Saturday in September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day]

The first Saturday in September has been set aside as a day to consider the ecological importance of a bird of prey that is otherwise mostly dismissed with a shudder. With some species under severe threat of extinction,

Around the world, countries from Canada to Germany and India are holding activities to contribute to International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) which takes place today. Vultures are easily recognizable birds, with a long history of importance to many cultures including the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Tibetan Buddhists and Zoroastrians. As scavengers who feed primarily on carrion (animals which are already dead), vultures are associated not only with death but also with renewal.

Vultures worldwide are experiencing rapid population decline for several reasons, including poisoning (most notably through the use of Diclofenac, a drug used to treat livestock which is toxic to vultures, but also from lead and pesticide poisoning), electrocution from power lines, lack of food, and habitat loss.

International Vulture Awareness Day aims to raise awareness amongst the public about the need to conserve vultures. For example, a novel educational tool with conservation benefits which will be showcased in some locations for IVAD is the ‘Vulture restaurant’. These ‘restaurants’ provide carcasses free from contamination for vultures to consume, ideally in an area with habitat suitable for breeding and nesting, where visitors can observe their feeding behaviour.

In fact, the feeding habits of vultures provide vital services to their environment. Vultures are able to spot carcasses from great distances, and, with their typically impressive wingspan, can fly far to locate food. Their highly acidic stomachs kill dangerous bacteria found in carrion. If vultures did not perform this service, carcasses might pollute water sources or attract other scavengers such as crows, rats and feral dogs, which are more likely to spread disease from carrion to domestic animals and local human populations. Several vulture species are monogamous and mate for life, raising only one or two chicks per breeding season which are cared for by both parents.

As vultures cross territorial boundaries, joint international planning is required to address threats and reverse declines effectively. The Memorandum of Understanding on African-Eurasian Migratory Birds of Prey (Raptors MoU) concluded under the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) covers three species of vulture: the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) and Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus). The status of the Egyptian Vulture is classed by the IUCN Red List as Endangered while the Eurasian Griffon is listed as Near Threatened and the Cinereous Vulture is of Least Concern. The MoU aims to bring countries together to encourage the design and implementation of measures leading to improved conservation for over 70 birds of prey species.

To actively promote the conservation of Egyptian Vultures, the Interim Coordinating Unit (ICU) of the Raptors MoU is poised to sign an agreement with The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), a partner of BirdLife International. The one-year project will build local capacity by delivering field skills training to selected personnel from Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. These individuals will thenundertake fieldwork to gather data to improve understanding and protection of Egyptian Vultures on their wintering grounds in Central and Eastern Africa.

Source: http://www.cms.int/…/ne…/international- ... reness-day
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/…/interna ... lture-awar…/


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Re: My best Vulture pic ever - IVAD 2015

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Image


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Re: Threats to Vultures

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Eskom hires helicopter to help vultures

Eskom had to hire a helicopter on Thursday to assist in changing power lines below the Kransberg vulture colony in Limpopo from bird “unfriendly” to bird “friendly”.

South Africa’s vultures are faced with a number of threats‚ including poisoning‚ persecution‚ drowning in farm reservoirs‚ food shortages‚ loss of suitable habitat and the exploitation via the muti trade.

“Sadly mortalities of these large birds with Eskom infrastructure remain an additional threat and Eskom and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has since 1996 worked tirelessly to address this concern‚” Eskom said in a statement.

The reduction of the impact of power lines on birds has always been a focus area for Eskom and the company has consistently been taking steps to address this.

“In addition‚ Eskom is continuously working with other stakeholders such as the Bird Life South Africa‚ Middelpunt Wetland Trust‚ and Vulpro to avoid or mitigate this impact.

“During the past 19 years mitigation measures were installed successfully by Eskom at 1‚124 sites where incidents were reported.

“The Eskom/EWT partnership developed various mitigation devices to reduce bird mortalities such as bird flappers‚ bird flight diverter spirals‚ bird guards‚ raptor protectors and the nocturnal ‘OWL’ device which caters for nocturnal flying birds.

“Eskom has tested and installed these mitigation devices throughout diverse terrain to reduce bird mortalities‚” it said.


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Re: Threats to Vultures

Post by Lisbeth »

A few days ago I saw a documentary about the Indian vultures which had arrived close to extinction because of a medicine given to the cattle. The stomach of the vulture can handle almost everything, but this medicine was poison for them. The consequence was that the number of stray dogs grew and carcasses were lying about spreading diseases. Now the number of vultures is growing again after the medicine has been prohibited.

You cannot play with evolution; every single creature is important and if one single chain is interrupted it always has dangerous consequences O-/


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