More Than 120 Endangered Vultures Die After Poacher Poisoning in South Africa
In a devastating incident described as one of the worst in recent years, more than 120 endangered vultures have died after feeding on a poisoned elephant carcass in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to a joint statement by the park authorities and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the carcass had been deliberately laced with a highly toxic agrochemical pesticide by suspected poachers. The poisoning led to the deaths of 123 vultures, including white-backed vultures, Cape vultures, and a lappet-faced vulture all classified as endangered or critically endangered species.
“The scale of the tragedy is staggering: 123 vultures were found dead at the scene,” the statement said.
An additional 84 vultures were rescued and transported for emergency treatment and observation, with some airlifted by helicopter as part of the response effort.
EWT’s Birds of Prey Programme Manager Gareth Tate told AFP that this incident marks the most severe case of vulture poisoning in the region since 2019, when more than 500 vultures died in Botswana after consuming similarly poisoned elephant remains.
Poachers are increasingly using poisoned carcasses as a method to target not only vultures but also lions, whose body parts are sought after in traditional medicine markets. While some vultures fall victim unintentionally, others are deliberately targeted because of their role as natural indicators of poaching activity. Their presence circling in the sky can alert authorities to illegal kills on the ground.
“We have seen a massive spike in poaching for lion parts, for which sometimes vultures are the unintended victims,” Tate explained. “In some cases, birds of prey are maliciously targeted by poachers because they are natural sentinels and can give away the location of the poaching of other animals.”
Officials continue to investigate the poisoning and are working to prevent future incidents of this scale.
AFP