MARLOTH PARK – Twelve white-backed vultures have been poisoned in the neighbouring Lionspruit.
Residents alerted Lowvelder of the birds’ carcasses on Tuesday. The newspaper contacted the Mr André Botha, manager of the birds of prey programme of the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
Botha went to investigate and managed to rescue two of the birds which he sent to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre near Hoedspruit.
Brian Jones, Manager Moholoholo Rehabilitation centre
Upon enquiry Lowvelder established that the condition of these two vultures had improved considerably. Mr Brian Jones, the manager at the centre said, “All the birds were brought here and we found two that were still alive. They have been treated for poisoning and they are already standing up. Good news indeed.”
The birds are still not out of danger and they are carefully being monitored. “We have sent samples of the dead birds to the Onderstepoort veterinary facility near Pretoria, but we can already confirm that the meat which the birds had consumed was poisoned. We will know shortly which type of poison was used.”
Lowvelder learnt that the carcasses of warthogs that had been shot in Marloth Park earlier, were dumped at a dumping site called the Vultures’ Restaurant.
As soon as the type of poison has been established, the area will have to be sterilised.
The white-backed vulture has been impacted by a number of threats, resulting in a decline in numbers in recent years. Consequently, in 2012 the IUCN Red List uplisted the species from “near threatened” to “endangered”.
These population declines have been caused by a combination of factors: the loss and conversion of the vulture’s habitat to agriculture, declines in wild ungulate populations reducing the availability of carrion, hunting for use in traditional medicine, capture for illegal live trade and traditional medicine, electrocution on electricity pylons, drowning in farm reservoirs, persecution and poisoning.
The EWT confirmed that the recent declines were worrying and further action was clearly required. Botha recommended measures include establishing legal protection for the species in all range countries, establishing a vulture monitoring network, and determining the most significant threats and seeking solutions.
The Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre is a haven for many abandoned, injured and poisoned animals.
The centre is the only facility in South Africa that has successfully bred the endangered crown eagle.
