They may look weird, are intimidating in stature and have some questionable dietary habits, but the vulture is our friend. They perform an important role in the ecosystem, and they, like many creatures, are fighting for survival.
VulPro, the Vulture Research Project in Hartbeespoort, North West, has been part of many exciting research projects looking to find a key to their survival, including a first study published by Cambridge University Press in 2017, which looked at the potential impacts of climate change on Cape vultures’ populations.
But the organisation’s nine-year research on Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) colonies was used for a study on the griffin’s population growth, and the findings were quite positive.
Because of conservation efforts, the population seems to have stabilised.
Titled Population growth rates in northern Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) colonies between 2010 and 2019, by Hirschauer et al, the paper found the country had between 2,200 and 2,500 breeding pairs.
And as we battle against a plague, we should care for the griffin’s survival. The bird is often thought of as a low-level scavenger, but its function is to clean up carcass remains, keeping diseases at bay and the ecosystem healthy. Vultures are nature’s recyclers, helping to keep us safe from illness.
The study found the six colonies in Manutsa, Hoedspruit in Limpopo, Soutpansberg, Vhembe District in Limpopo, and Nooitgedacht in Randburg, Johannesburg, had increased significantly between 2010 and 2019.
But the smallest colony at Moletjie, in the Capricorn District of Limpopo, is declining towards expiration, with only one breeding pair remaining in 2019.
VulPro CEO Kerri Wolter cautioned that although the data did look positive, it was important to note there was little information about the Cape vulture colonies in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Lesotho.
She said vultures thrived in large colonies, and in a declining colony the birds will fly off to join other stable colonies.
“Like in Moletjie, we don’t know if or how many of the population left to join other colonies.
“So we caution that because some of the colonies look to be increasing it doesn’t necessarily mean the overall population is increasing. But the data suggest the population is stabilising.”
Cites (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) lists the species in the red category, meaning it is endangered.
Cites does, however, note there have been increases in populations in parts of SA, thanks to the work done by organisations like VulPro. The convention lists public awareness programmes and supplementary feeding, as well as efforts to reduce the threat from power lines, as the cause for the increase.
Wolter said the Cape vulture is endemic to Southern Africa, as all other breeding pairs have become extinct. Globally there are just more than 10,000 found in SA, Lesotho and Botswana. Breeding pairs in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland no longer exist.
A major threat to vultures in general in Africa comes from power lines. The birds are often maimed or killed after flying into or landing on the lines.
They are also targeted for their body parts for use in traditional medicine.
Another threat comes from poisonings by poachers. Vultures are signal birds for animal carcasses. Poachers are increasingly poisoning the carcasses of hunted animals so the birds do not give away the locations of the kill to guards, which gives the poachers more time to escape the area.
A recent example was in October when about 40 vultures were poisoned in Botswana, many of them critically endangered white-backed vultures. But Wolter also commented that in June last year, 537 vultures were poisoned by poachers in Botswana. Most of these, 468, were white-backed vultures, but 28 were critically endangered hooded vultures – in 2019 there were only 36 breeding pairs of hooded vultures in the country. Ten were Cape vultures.
At the time Wolter said because vultures travelled long distances and often crossed borders, these birds could have come from any Southern African country.
She said without intervention the Cape vulture would no longer exist in 30 years’ time.
According to the study, the northeastern population has been stable or increasing since 2010 with the 2019 surveys counting 2,241 breeding pairs across all sites.
“Indeed, there is an 89% chance that the population across the colonies we monitored increased from 2010 to 2019. Coordinated, range-wide, full-cycle monitoring is needed to thoroughly assess conservation status and efficacy of conservation actions taken for this endangered species,” the study reads.
This study will form part of the basis of further studies looking at how populations are changing among these colonies.
According to the 2017 study, an estimated 28% to 55% of the area suitable for Cape vultures is predicted to become unsuitable under future conditions.
That would strain the already endangered species further and could threaten its survival altogether.
According to Wolter, private land will become increasingly important for Cape vulture conservation.
As a conservationist, she said she was always fighting against mindsets of people who didn’t see the birds’ beauty.
“Doesn’t matter how important they are. If we cannot get people to like them then they won’t support the cause; people only want to save them if they like them..
“If we are to ensure the survival of all wild species in a world dominated by greed and rampant materialism, our only choice is to attempt to shift people’s mindsets towards caring and understanding. And in the case of vultures, this means we have to showcase these birds’ magnificence, their spectacular beauty and their utter irreplaceability, because no one will work to save a species or care about its future if they are not emotionally moved by it, no matter how vital its ecological role may be.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.