Vultures in Africa

Vultures are also known as "nature's cleaning crew". They ensure that the habitat of many animals remains tidy. Vultures eat the carcasses, leaving no rotting flesh left behind. In this way they also prevent the spread of diseases among humans and animals. Very handy! However, poachers are less happy with these birds, because the circling vultures reveal the place where poachers are active. Therefore, they poison the carcasses and kill large numbers of vultures, sometimes as many as 150 to 500 vultures at one time. Since vultures only lay one egg a year, their population is rapidly declining in these threatening conditions. 

Tracking with GPS 

Wageningen University & Research is conducting research into these birds to gain a better understanding of where the vultures live, how the different populations are connected and what threats there are. This information is badly needed to be able to protect the vultures in a targeted manner. Vogelpark Avifauna has sponsored GPS material for this project to track a number of white-headed vultures. This species is the most endangered of all African vulture species.  

Rapid Response Teams 

Avifauna also contributes to the prevention of poisoning of vultures in Africa through financial contributions to the 'rapid response teams'. They ensure that the vultures are rescued faster and taken care of when they are poisoned. In addition, the rapid response teams clear up the poison quickly, so that no more animals are poisoned. And they collect as much evidence as possible for possible lawsuits against the poachers.