Saturday, 5 September, is International Vulture Awareness Day aimed at focussing on the value of vultures as nature’s clean-up crew. Vultures are among the most threatened birds worldwide as vulture populations of many species are under enormous pressure while some species face extinction.
These majestic birds provide critically important ecosystem services by cleaning up carcasses and reducing the risk of the spread of diseases, resulting in economic and human health benefits. Over the past three decades, vulture numbers have declined at a rate of approximately 62 percent, causing great concern among conservationists and wildlife experts about the risk of losing all vulture populations.
SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) a member organisation that represents wildlife managers, conservationists, and responsible hunters, recently launched several initiatives as part of its Vulture Heritage Programme to contribute to the conservation of vultures. SAHGCA believes that the wildlife sector should maintain its prominent place at the forefront of wildlife, and in particular, vulture conservation.
Poaching, poison, and power infrastructure pose threat to vulture populations
Even though it is illegal to possess or kill any of the six vulture species found in South Africa, numbers continue to plummet. The main reasons for their decline are persecution, electrocution, and poisoning. Poisoning and trade in traditional medicines combined, account for 90% of reported deaths. Environmental threats include poorly designed and inconsiderate placement of electrical infrastructure such as power lines and wind farms that interfere with the flight patterns of vultures.
The illegal trade in vulture body parts for traditional medicine purposes, is a major and growing threat. Vultures are believed to have psychic powers, and some people think that inhaling the fumes from smoking dried vulture brains will enable them to predict the future or improve their odds when gambling.
Deliberate poisoning is by far the biggest threat to vultures. In just over a year, more than 1,200 vultures have been poisoned in southern and eastern Africa. The substantial increase in vulture deaths has been associated with the escalation in elephant and rhino poaching throughout Africa. Apparently, poachers poison carcasses of elephant and other game to prevent vultures circling over poached animals and alerting rangers to the killings.
Vultures are often the victims of unintended poisoning when carcasses are baited with highly toxic agricultural pesticides to kill carnivores such as lion, hyena, jackal, caracal, or feral dogs. Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory product used legally by veterinarians, may also lead to kidney failure and death of vultures that feed on carcasses of animals previously treated with this drug.
Substantive evidence indicates that lead found in the environment is another unintended source of poisoning. Vultures are scavengers whose feeding behaviour and acidic digestive systems, which oxidize lead, make them particularly vulnerable. Together with other sources of lead in the environment, lead ammunition may contribute to exposing vultures to lead. Fragments of lead-based bullets that may remain in skulls, carcasses and gut-piles of animals that are being shot as part of wildlife management activities, culling operations and hunting, could potentially be sources of unintended lead poisoning in vultures. Feeding sites, including vulture restaurants in particular, may pose a high risk.
SAHGCA contributes to national conservation strategies and serves with other organisations on the National Wildlife Poison Prevention Working Group and the National Lead Task Team that follow a holistic approach in considering various sources of lead that could have a negative impact on people and wildlife. The Association is also part of the National Vulture Task Force that drives the national strategy for conservation of vultures in South Africa.
With its Vulture Heritage Programme, SAHGCA’s members contribute to vulture research and monitoring, and raise awareness on vulture conservation. One such example is its De La Rey branch near Lichtenburg that co-ordinates initiative with local landowners, Vulpro, Eskom and other role players to maintain the nearby vulture restaurant; provides vulture safe carcasses; monitors birds; raises awareness among the youth, and supports rehabilitation.
SAHGCA is also committed to minimize potential exposure to lead among all wildlife through:
raising awareness on the potential risks associated with lead exposure in the environment
removing, burning, or burying animal remains from wildlife management, culling or hunting operations to avoid contact with scavengers
donating vulture-safe carcasses to vulture restaurants
collaborating with ammunition and bullet manufacturers to develop local, viable alternatives to lead-core ammunition.
As part of its bid to save vulture populations, SAHGCA invites wildlife managers, hunters, farmers, ammunition manufacturers and members of the public to support its Vulture Heritage Programme. “We believe that through collaboration and an integrated approach, we can look forward to a future where nature’s clean-up crew will continue to soar in the African sky,” says Lizanne Nel, conservation manager of SAHGCA.
For more information about the programme initiatives, contact Lizanne Nel at 012 808 9300 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
AFRIKAANS
Saterdag, 5 September is Internasionale Aasvoëldag met die doel om die waarde van aasvoëls as die natuur se opruimers te bevorder. Regoor die wêreld tel aasvoëls onder die mees bedreigde voëls waarvan talle spesies onder groot druk verkeer en ander uitsterwing in die gesig staar.
Hierdie manjifieke voëls verskaf ʼn uiters noodsaaklike funksie in ons ekosisteem deur oorblyfsels van dierkarkasse in die natuur te eet en sodoende die risiko te verminder vir die verspreiding van siektes wat gevare vir die mens kan inhou. Aasvoëlgetalle het oor die afgelope drie dekades met sowat 62% afgeneem. Dit is ʼn groot bron van kommer onder bewaring- en wildlewe deskundiges dat ons binnekort van ons aasvoëlbevolkings kan verloor.
Die SA Jagters- en Wildbewaringsvereniging (SAJWV), ʼn lede-organisasie wat wildlewe-bestuurders, omgewingsbewaarders en verantwoordelike jagters verteenwoordig, het pas talle projekte geloods as deel van sy Aasvoël Erfenisprogram om die bewaring van aasvoëls te bevorder. Die SAJWV is van mening dat die hele wildbedryf ʼn prominente rol moet speel en die voortou kan neem in aasvoëlbewaring.
Stropers, gif en infrastruktuur bedreig aasvoëlbevolkings
Hoewel dit onwettig is om enige van die ses aasvoëlspesies wat in Suid-Afrika voorkom aan te hou of dood te maak, neem die getalle steeds af weens doelbewuste of toevallige vergiftiging en elektriese skok weens kontak met oorhoofse hoogspanningsdrade. Vergiftiging en die handel in produkte as tradisionele medisyne is verantwoordelik vir 90% van die sterftes. Ander bedreigings in die omgewing sluit in infrastruktuur soos hoogspanningsdrade en windplase waarvan die ontwerp en plasing ondeurdag is en wat met die aasvoëls se vlugpatrone inmeng.
Die onwettige handel in aasvoëlprodukte vir tradisionele medisyne neem toe. Bygelowe dat aasvoëls bonatuurlike magte het, lei tot praktyke soos die inasem van gedroogde aasvoëlbrein wat dit konsuis vir mense moontlik maak om die toekoms te voorspel of hulle kanse verbeter om die lotto te wen.
Voorbedagte vergiftiging is verreweg die grootste bedreiging vir aasvoëls. Meer as 1200 aasvoëls is in slegs een jaar in suidelike en oostelike Afrika vergiftig. Die toename in sterftes word ook vereenselwig met die toename in stropery van olifante en renoster in Afrika. Dit blyk dat stropers gif oor die karkasse van olifante en ander wild gooi om die aasvoëls dood te maak en te voorkom dat voëls se teenwoordigheid in die lug bewaarders ʼn aanduiding gee van stropers se aktiwiteite.
Aasvoëls is dikwels ook die slagoffers van toevallige vergiftiging wanneer vergiftige dierkarkasse as lokaas vir roofdiere soos leeus, hiënas, jakkalse, rooikatte en rondloperhonde neergesit word. Die wettige gebruik van anti-inflammatoriese produkte soos Diclofenac deur veeartse, lei tot nierversaking en sterftes by aasvoëls wat vreet aan dierkarkasse wat voorheen met hierdie middel behandel was.
Daar is duidelike aanduidings dat lood wat in die omgewing voorkom ook ʼn toevallige bron van vergifting is. Aasvoëls se verteringstelsels bevat baie suur en kan die lood wat hulle inneem, oksideer. Loodammunisie is nog ʼn moontlike bron wat in die omgewing voorkom. Loodsplinters wat agterbly in die skedels of ingewande van diere wat geskiet is tydens wildbestuur-, oes of jagaktiwiteite kan ook ʼn oorsaak wees van toevallige loodvergifting onder aasvoëls. Voerplekke en aasvoëlrestourante kan dus ʼn hoe risiko vir die voëls inhou.
SAJWV lewer ʼn bydrae tot ʼn nasionale bemarkingstrategie en is saam met ander organisasies deel van ʼn nasionale werkgroep vir die voorkoming van vergiftiging van wildlewe en ʼn nasionale lood taakgroep wat ʼn holistiese benadering volg om al die moontlike bronne van lood te ondersoek wat nadelige uitwerking op mense en wildlewe kan hê. Die Vereniging is ook deel van die Nasionale Aasvoël Taakspan wat ʼn strategie vir aasvoëlsbewaring in Suid-Afrika bestuur.
SAJWV se lede dra by tot sy Aasvoël Erfenisprogram se navorsing- en moniteringsfunksie en skep bewustheid van aasvoëlbewaring. Een praktiese voorbeeld hiervan is die werksaamhede van die De La Rey-tak naby Lichtenburg wat in samewerking met plaaslike grondeienaars, Vulpro, Eskom en ander rolspelers ʼn aasvoëlrestaurant in die omgewing onderhou deur veilige karkasse te verskaf; voëls te monitor; bewustheid onder die jeug te skep; en die rehabilitasie van voëls te ondersteun.
SAJWV is daartoe verbind om die potensiële gevaar wat blootstelling aan lood vir wildlewe inhou, te verminder deur:
· die publiek bewus te maak van die potensiële risiko’s van blootstelling aan lood in die omgewing
· karkasse van diere wat in wildbestuur-, oes- en jagaktiwiteite geskiet is te verwyder, te verbrand of te begrawe om kontak met aasdiere te voorkom
· veilige karkasse aan aasvoëlrestourante te skenk
· saam met die vervaardigers van ammunisie- en koeëls te werk om plaaslike, en volhoubare alternatiewe loodvrye ammunisie te ontwikkel.
SAJWV nooi die wildlewebestuurders, jagters, boere, ammunisievervaardigers en die publiek uit om sy aasvoëlprogram te ondersteun. “Ons glo dat samewerking en ʼn geïntegreerde benadering kan bydra tot ʼn toekoms waar die natuur se doeltreffende opruimspan steeds oor Afrika sal sweef,” se Lizanne Nel, SAJWV se bemarkingsbestuurder.
Vir meer inligting oor die projek en hoe om betrokke te raak, tree in verbinding met Lizanne Nel by 012 808 9300 of This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
