Whether they are scavenging the earth for rotten food or majestically flying through the African Skies, vultures are still regarded as a regionally endangered species.
Although they evoke strong emotions from many different individuals and walks of life, including those of enthusiastic pilots from large fixed wing aircrafts, helicopters to motorized and non-motorized gliders, vultures are seen as the masters of the skies and have adapted to make use of hot air currents also known as thermals to soar and glide as they forage, commute and play in our blue skies.
Founder and manager of VulPro, Kerri Wolter said pilots flying non-motorized gliders make use of thermals for flying as well and thus use vultures, if and where possible, to locate thermals for successful and enjoyable flights. Kerri said vulture colonies were seen in the Magaliesburg mountain, but their feeding sites also include Mogale Gate and the Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve in Muldersdrift.
“Generally this is not a problem, however it does become a massive problem when pilots over step their mark and fly too close to vulture breeding, roosting and feeding sites, causing disturbance, chick fatalities from chicks jumping too early and parents abandoning their nests, egg or chicks due to fear and anguish. The same happens for fixed-wing aircrafts and helicopters when flying too low and too close to these selected and very specific sites which are easy to avoid,” Kerri said.
She added that VulPro believes that no flying whatsoever should ever be undertaken at any vulture breeding colony and at roosting and feeding sites by any pilots, be it motorized or non-motorized, fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters. There is ample space away from these selected sites and therefore there is no excuse or need to fly in close proximity or even at these sites whatsoever. Our vultures are listed as endangered and we are battling to stabilize populations, even one lost egg or chick is one vulture too many.
“This is not only a danger to the vultures, but to the pilots and passengers as well. We are appealing to each and every pilot to please respect our vultures and their habitat, to respect their breeding sites and appreciate these magnificent birds in flight by keeping them safe and around to continue being the masters in flight,” she said.
For more information on breeding, roosting and feeding sites, contact kerri.wolter@gmail.com and she would be happy to share this information for the full purpose of making these areas no-fly zones.
Vultures, positioned at the top of the food chain, are an indicator of the health of the environment below them – and dependent for their survival on a healthy environment.
As such the work of the Vulture Conservation Programme (VulPro) work is intended and expected to impact on many other aspects of the environment – beyond vultures. VulPro approaches vulture conservation in an integrated, multidisciplinary fashion, with the benefits from the programme accruing to both vultures and society at large. VulPro combines education and good science, with networking, capacity building and knowledge generation. The veterinary disciplines of toxicology, pharmacology, clinical pathology and medicine are combined with the science of cell-phone telemetry and the banking of genetic resources, with the goal being to positively influence the well-being of our natural resources to the ultimate benefit of society.
In this regard, VulPro engages in a number of interrelated activities, and uses a variety of resources, in endeavouring to meet its objectives. GPS tracking devises are used to determine foraging and home ranges of a large number of vultures in Southern Africa. The output from this research allows for the monitoring of capture-release free-ranging vultures and for the mapping of areas for further actions (such as community education and the safeguarding of vulture food through the monitoring of vulture restaurants).
VulPro conducts and facilitates educational talks and interaction with both tame and wild vultures at the rehabilitation and educational centre in Hartbeespoort, and regionally, through the follow-up of vulture home range and feeding studies.
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