VulPro recognised two years in a row
KYALAMI – Kerri Wolter, CEO and founder of the Vulture Conservation Programme of South Africa (VulPro) encourages safe use of veterinary and agricultural drugs in the equestrian community.
According to Kerri Wolter, CEO and founder of the Vulture Conservation Programme of South Africa (VulPro), thousands of vultures are poisoned each year by eating donated horse carcasses.
“The equestrian sector has donated a lot of carcasses to vulture restaurants [a place where fresh and poison-free meat and/or carcasses of domestic livestock or wild mammals are put out for vultures and other scavengers] and wildlife centres and have inadvertently poisoned hundreds of vultures with horse carcasses treated with drugs such as Equipalazone.” She added that the organisation had worked very hard to educate farmers and equestrians regarding the safe use of veterinary and agricultural drugs.
The organisation was recently awarded the prestigious Paaza (Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquaria) conservation award for their vulture conservation work. It is an award to honour individuals or organisations that have made significant contributions to the conservation of African species’ diversity or ecosystems.
VulPro was recognised for their hard work and commitment to saving vultures through rehabilitation, education, population monitoring and surveys, research, captive breeding and ongoing involvement and interaction with landowners, farmers and the general public.
Last year, VulPro was recognised and rewarded for their captive breeding programme which resulted in the successful release of captive-bred Cape vulture chicks for population supplementation, the first-ever on the African continent.
Wolter said she was honoured to have won the award for the second year. “Vultures are vital indicators of the health of our ecosystem and are invaluable guardians against disease outbreaks of botulism, anthrax and foot and mouth due to their amazing ability to metabolise these deadly bacteria with no danger to themselves.
“They are, however, very susceptible to poison, certain NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Ketaprofen, lead toxicity, habitat loss and threats such as power lines.”
She added that VulPro’s work had far-reaching benefits for all, by helping to stabilise and recover wild population numbers, limiting disease epidemics, ensuring healthy wildlife and limiting unnecessary loss of stock in the agricultural sector. VulPro’s impact is particularly important in poorer rural areas, where families often rely solely on their livestock for survival.
The organisation approaches vulture conservation in an integrated, multidisciplinary fashion by combining education and good science with networking, capacity building and knowledge generation.
Details: www.zoosafrica.com
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