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Should kids care about crashing vulture populations?                   How to empower kids through ecoliteracy

5/1/2016

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Vanishing Vultures

Africa is home to 11 vulture species. 
​But human activities are killing Africa’s vultures at a rapid, unsustainable rate. 
Picture
Cape Vulture © Chris Van Rooyen
  The Cape Vulture (also called Cape Griffon), Gyps coprotheres is endemic to southern Africa.   
            Once a common species in South Africa, Cape Vultures are now endangered.
 1   
 
                        Cape Vultures once soared the skies in South Africa.
                                   But today, less than 4,000 breeding pairs remain.
                          And those remaining pairs are declining at an alarming rate. 

                         -- South Africa's  Vulture Conservation Programme (VulPro)

Editor’s Note

This special issue introduces students, teachers and parents to the
world of African Vultures.

Explore the human toll on vultures; the consequences of ecosystems
disrupted by humans; and the hard work of some of the scientists 
and conservationists who are trying to prevent the extinction of
vultures.
 
Environmental Literacy
 
How do we educate and empower students -- the earth's future decision 
makers and consumers -- to confront the constant onslaught of reports 
and news stories about species declines and extinctions?  After all, 
species declines and the resulting loss of ecosystem services affect our
lives and theirs, now and in the future.
 
We can create opportunities for kids to become environmentally
literate and to learn about complex issues, such as:

1.  What are the human causes of species declines?
2.  How is scientific data used to help species?
3.  What obstacles do scientists and conservationists face in their efforts
     to lobby for wildlife protection laws and rehabilitation projects? ​

Kids love challenges. To foster critical thinking skills as well as
collaboration 
and leadership skills, we need to empower kids to:

 -   not only explore species declines, but to engage with key players
     (scientists, conservationists, governments, corporations, etc.) 
 -   participate in citizen science projects to help scientists with research

 -   speak up about their concerns and share their opinions in group discussions

 
-   write letters to companies and government leaders about their concerns
 -   raise awareness about the issues that affect their lives 

  Your input is invaluable.  Please add your insights in the
  comment section below.

  
  Thank you,
 
  
Debra Toor
​

Inside this issue:

   Can science & collaboration save Africa’s vultures?
   Human triggers for vulture deaths
​   How scientists are contributing to solutions
   Evidence Exposed: Scientists cracked the case and identified the vulture killer
                                  during the Asian Vulture Crisis
   Ecosystem services of vultures
   Feature: How VulPro is helping South Africa's vultures
   Messages from the Vulture Scientists
   Free pdf Ebook; Vulture Tic Tac Toe; and more resources
​
Picture

  In Africa, vultures and humans
  are on a collision course.

   
   Human activities are killing Africa’s vultures at an
   unprecedented and unsustainable rate.  Scientists
   warn that the collapse of this keystone species will
   spark
a rise in disease transmission throughout
   the African continent
. 
 
  Can science & collaboration save
  Africa’s vultures?

 
​Inference:  Humans have caused unprecedented
  deaths of vultures. Therefore, scientists infer that
  if humans cease vulture-killing activities, then the
  collapse of vulture populations can be prevented.

 


Armed with scientific tools and methods, teams
of scientists and conservationists are
making
observations
, collecting data and making
inferences
.  
​
  
How can scientific research protect
vultures?


Credible scientific data is used to:

 -   Inform lawmakers of critical vulture threats
 -   Recommend and support laws to protect vultures
 -   Develop and improve upon conservation strategies
 -   Develop programs to educate the public and key
     players about vulture threats, consequences and
     solutions
 -   
Reduce existing threats (Example: constructing safer
     power structures and marking lines to avoid vulture 
     electrocutions and c
ollisions.)
 -   Work together with landowners and farmers to
     recommend best farming practices without the use of
     poisons where 
possible

Scientists and conservation organizations are working to mitigate
vulture mortalities throughout Africa.

Their efforts include research and collaboration with government,
industry (such as pesticide manufacturers, pharmaceutical 
companies, and power companies) farmers, rural communities,
school groups, conservation NGOs, landowners, national and
protected nature reserves, and the general public.


Did you know that vultures exist on every continent except for
Australia and Antarctica?  ​There are 23 vulture species in the world.

Picture
​

    
​ 
Sources for statistics (left):


2.   Dropping Dead: Causes and
      
consequences of vulture population
​      declines
worldwide.
 
3.   “Conservationists warn Africa’s vultures
      are sliding towards extinction.
" 
4.    Another Continental Vulture Crisis:
      Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward
      
Extinction. Conservation Letters. 

5.    BirdLife International Data Zone Species
      Factsheet
 
 

Picture


​Source for Birdorable Graphic:

BirdLife International (2015) "Africa’s vultures are sliding towards extinction warns BirdLife."

Available at: 

http://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/africa%E2%80%99s-vultures-are-sliding-towards-extinction-warns-birdlife

For more information about helping vultures, visit:
   
www.birdlife.org/savevultures
​
Picture
 
 

​      Human Triggers 


    Every day, vultures struggle against
    an onslaught of human threats. 


    The impact of residential and industrial 
    development combined with specific
    human activities are to blame for
    massive vulture deaths in Africa.


    Conservationist Kerri Wolter of VulPro
    adds two more triggers:

    1. Loss of available and safe food free
        from veterinary drugs and poisons
   
    2. Loss of available and safe foraging
        ranges due to land use changes
        (from farming practices to housing
        eco-estates) or changes in farming 
        practices (from livestock to
        agricultural)
   


   


Poisoning Motives


Poachers lace carcasses with poison so that circling
vultures 
won't draw attention to their illegal activities.

Vultures are also unintentionally killed when they
scavenge on poisoned carcasses meant to kill predators
that have killed the livestock of herders or farmers.

  
Sources for Human Triggers: 
​   
Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures
Collapsing Toward Extinction. Conservation
Letters.  


The Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Carprofen, Flunixin
and Phenylbutazone in the Cape Vulture (Gyps
coprotheres) following Oral Exposure
.
​

Picture
​   
     
 Scientists use different types of graphs
      to visually represent data.
 

     1.  Why do you think the pie graph
          was chosen to represent the statistics?


     2.  What two human activities account for
          the most vulture deaths in Africa?


     3.  What is the percentage value of these
          two triggers?





         Source: Another Continental Vulture Crisis:
         Africa's Vultures  Collapsing toward Extinction.
         Conservation Letters.






​
A Closer Look
at poisonings, wind turbine collisions, electrocutions, and the trade in vulture parts
​

Picture
Large Vulture Poisoning Incident 6
Source: Conservationist Darcy Ogada, Raptor Working Group of Kenya 

January 6, 2016:  A large number of dead birds,
vultures and one eagle were discovered  at
Laikipia, Northern Kenya


Wildlife Biologist Darcy Ogada was part of the team that
investigated the cause of death.  


Lab results revealed that the cow carcasses the birds ate were
laced with highly-toxic agricultural pesticides.


Why were the carcasses poisoned?
Investigators discovered that herders had poisoned the carcasses to
retaliate against 
three lions that had killed four of their cows. Herders
failed to kill the targeted 
livestock predators.  

But their actions killed an estimated 100 vultures.


Baiting carcasses with poison is commonly practiced by
farmers, ranchers and herders
 to retaliate against predators such as
lions and jackals. Vultures are communal feeders so hundreds can die
at a single carcass. Agricultural pesticides are cheep and easy to find
and are considered a convenient solution to deal with predators.

  
Potent poisons continue to kill

​
According to Ogada, two cows that grazed at the scene after the
incident were poisoned because the grass had been contaminated by
the poison in the vulture vomit or feces.  "I'm following this up and
plan to visit the scene tomorrow where I suspect a thorough search will
reveal more dead vultures or other raptors," she said.

"Most of you will know that these vultures are now listed as Critically
Endangered. I currently have two vultures (a Rüppell's Vulture, Gyps
rueppelli 
and a White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus) in northern
Kenya with tracking devices.  I can confirm that at least the Rüppell's
did not perish in this incident. The unit on the White-backed has not
checked in for almost a month, so I can't confirm whether it survived
or not."
   
Ogada warns that people should never use potent pesticides -- because
they kill indiscriminately​ -- to bait livestock predators.


Solutions and Challenges

Scientific studies show that poisons kill indiscriminately.  These studies
support educational outreach to government, farmers, ranchers, herders,
and other groups.  

In her 2014 study The power of poison: Pesticide poisoning of
Africa's wildlife
, Ogada r
ecommended: "banning pesticides, improving
pesticide regulations and controlling distribution, better enforcement and
stiffer penalties for offenders, increasing international support and
awareness, and developing regional pesticide centers." 

Picture
Photo (above): Ogada is about to release an adult Rüppell's Vulture attached with a transmitter to track where it roosts, feeds and breeds.  

If the vulture dies, she will be able to locate it to determine the cause of death.



What is Ogada working on now? 
​

"I'm still trapping and tracking vultures in northern Kenya and in other neighboring countries.

I'm working on a number of other projects with collaborators, including anti-poisoning work which at present is aimed at getting structures in place in terms of laboratory testing, collecting samples, and training rangers. 

We will also soon start an Africa-wide vulture survey and mapping project." 

Darcy Ogada is a Kenya-based conservationist at The Peregrine Fund, chair of the Raptor Working Group of Nature Kenya, and a member of the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group
.
Picture














​What's the problem
with poorly located wind turbines?


This video has been included for readers to observe how oblivious vultures are to the giant turning blades of wind turbines.

​
Correction: The video (right) was not filmed in Africa, and the vulture is not a Cape Vulture but a Griffon Vulture, Gyps fulvus.  
​
Video filmed by Shannon Hoffman, African Birds of Prey Sanctuary
​
Source:
www.Nikela.org
Nikela is a public charity that tells stories and raises funds to support organizations that are working to curb the escalating wildlife trafficking industry and end lion trophy hunting.

​Location.  Location.  Location.  
Where NOT to build wind farms


Did you know that l
arge soaring birds, including vultures, are
particularly prone to colliding with wind turbines?

Conservationists strongly recommend that wind turbines not be
constructed on migratory routes, or on breeding, roosting and
feeding areas.

The following facts have been provided by BirdLife International:
​

How do poorly located wind farms
significantly slash bird populations? 


Building them in the wrong places causes disturbance and habitat loss.

Birds die or are severely injured when they collide with the turbine blades. 

In the news:
Proposed wind farms could 
cause
local vulture 
species extinctions.

In the Lesotho Highlands, conservationists are concerned that proposed
wind farms on critical habitat for declining populations of Bearded
​Vultures 
and Cape Vultures could cause local species extinctions.

Solutions based on science:
Careful planning is required to locate wind farms in
areas with minimal impact on birds and other wildlife. 


Scientists at BirdLife South Africa and its partners have submitted
a detailed response to the Environmental Impact Statement

for the proposed Letseng Wind Farm.
​

They hope to collaborate with the applicant, the Government of Lesotho
and its partners to help identify more suitable sites for renewable energy
generation, where impacts on the environment, including avifauna, can be
mitigated.


Source: BirdLife International (2013) "Wind Farms in Lesotho could
threaten local vulture populations
."
Presented as part of the
BirdLife State of the world's birds website.

​Available at: htt
p://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/567

Picture
© Albert Froneman

​Above photo:
Critically Endangered South African Bearded Vulture 
Gypaetus barbatus 

Source: http://projectvulture.org.za/​

The following information has been provided by Project Vulture:
​
Did you know
in 2013, over 1440 vultures were poisoned in southern
Africa?


​The alarming rate of poisonings combined with other threats have
shrunk many vulture populations to critical levels.  Project Vulture
warns that if this high mortality rate continues, we may see these
majestic birds disappear from South African skies forever.

Southern African Bearded Vulture Population

Reduced to just 50 birds, Bearded Vultures are listed as critically
endangered. The entire population, which inhabits the
Maloti-Drakensberg 
mountain range, is the only viable population
remaining in the 
southern Hemisphere.

Cape Vulture Population

About 1450 Cape Vultures inhabit the Maloti-Drakensberg region.
A shocking 7% of the local Cape Vulture population was killed in
poisoning incidents in 2013.

Source: The Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project, represented
online as Project Vulture, is dedicated to actively taking a stand to
ensure the protection and conservation of our vulnerable and critically
endangered vulture species.


Picture
Vulture Electrocutions 7 
Source: The Maloti-Drakensberg
Vulture Project
 (Project Vulture)





























Did you know that vultures are susceptible to electrocutions?

Vultures seek the highest vantage point from where they scan the area
for carrion.
 In flat, treeless habitats, power pylons often provide ideal
vantage points for this purpose. 


"Vultures also feel safer when they roost and perch high up and away from
disturbances," says Kerri Wolter.

​Their large wingspan can easily bridge the horizontal distance between
phase-to-earth or phase-to-ground components of transmission networks.

Vultures' gregarious nature and habit of roosting together result in multiple
electrocutions.


Solutions:

Research shows various methods that can effectively reduce the danger
that existing and proposed power poles and cables pose to vulture species.

The most common way:  Insulate dangerous live components, and cut a
gap in the earth wire.

"D
angerous structures can be changed to safe structures.  For example, a
T-structure can be swapped for an H-structure," adds Wolter.

Sometimes perch deterrents are installed to keep birds away from
dangerous areas on the structure.

"The lines can also be clearly marked with spirals and bird flappers, in a
similar fashion that lines are marked for pilots with red and white large
balls," says Wolter.

​
What is the role of power companies in vulture electrocutions?  

According to Bird Rehabilitator and Conservationist Tammi Caine of Project
Vulture:

“Power companies have a reactive rather than 
a proactive response to bird
mortalities.  They continue to erect power stations, poles and lines without
proper mitigation."

"Eskom works together with the Endangered Wildlife Trust to install
insulators on lines and transformers that have proved to be fatal points
for wildlife. If the pole number and GPS position is sent in to the Eskom/EWT
partnership, they have a mandate to secure that particular point.

However, they have not actually AVOIDED putting up power lines in vulture

sensitive areas.”

PicturePhoto: Morgan Pfeiffer
​
Photo:
Conservationist and Bird of
Prey Rehabilitator Tammy
Caine helps to fit a  
transmitter and wing tags for research on a Cape Vulture.
 

 
Says Caine "I assist with
 fieldwork and research, as
 rehabilitation, conservation
 and research often go hand
 in hand."

 



PicturePhoto: Copyright Keith Roberts; Source: Project Vulture
Traditional Medicine Harvesting 8   Story by Project Vulture






















​
​


Scientific data shows that the vulture parts trade is 
contributing to vulture declines.

...................................................................................................................................................
According to BirdLife:

A scientific study "found that 29% of the vulture 
deaths recorded continent-wide could be attributed
to this secretive trade. These practices are thought
to be widespread in West Africa, as well as Southern
Africa."


BirdLife International (2015) "Africa’s vultures are sliding towards
extinction warns BirdLife."
Available at:
h
ttp://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/africa%E2%80%99s-vultures-
are-sliding-towards-extinction-warn
s-birdlife
)

...................................................................................................................................................
   
 "I would say this is a problem throughout most of Africa,
  including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique,
  Kenya, and Botswana," says Tammy Caine.


Why are vulture parts in demand?

Vultures’ extremely well-developed eyesight allows them to spot a
carcass from 4 km away while soaring high in the sky.  As a result, 
large groups of birds simultaneously arrive at a meal site soon after
it becomes available.

This ability has led to the cultural misconception that vultures have 
psychic powers, or can see into the future. They are persecuted for
their body parts due to the belief that possession of a vulture part
enables one to share in the bird’s supernatural abilities.


The use of vulture body parts is believed to be most effective for
enabling psychic abilities, foresight and increased intelligence. Other
reported uses of vultures include use of their bones during
circumcision ceremonies, their talons to treat fever, their feathers
for decoration, and their beaks for protection. 

Vultures are killed with shotguns, poison or traps, although poisoning
is by far the most common method, as many birds can be killed at
one time.

 
Solutions include:


1. Investigating and documenting the vulture trade to determine effective
    and focused interventions
2. Educating the key players in the trade: consumers, healers, hunters,
    and traders

3. Improving policing and law enforcement to protect vultures


Picture
PictureImage: Yann (talk) GFDL. Vultures in the nest. Indian Vulture, Gyps indicus; Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India.

                                       
Asian Vulture Crisis

                  
3 species of Gyps vultures
collapsed by nearly 96% 9
​

  Where: Throughout South Asia  
  When:  During late 1990’s (within a 10-year period)
 
Evidence Exposed!  
Scientists cracked the case and identified the vulture killer.
 
When large numbers of vultures were found dead in South Asian
fields, scientists moved in to investigate. 

After about four years of intensive field and diagnostic research,
 10 
scientists had concrete 
evidence: The vultures died after consuming
the carcasses of livestock 
treated with the veterinary drug
diclofenac.  

​Although the drug is 
safe for livestock, it is lethal for vultures. 

Picture
Drug diclofenac Image by Pylori, Public Domain

How did the dramatic loss of vultures change the structure
of the scavenging community?


Feral dogs — disease transmitters — moved in to fill the
vulture’s scavenging niche. With more fuel available them,
the feral dog population grew, and a rabies epidemic spread. 


Consequences of the loss of vulture ecosystem services:
Without vultures to keep disease at bay, estimated healthcare
costs in India from 1993-2006 soared to $34 billion. 11
 
Scientists played a key role in helping vultures
Scientists presented their research to government authorities.
Their data showed the urgency of the vulture issue and what
would happen without immediate interventions.
 
As a result, South Asian governments banned the use and
manufacture of the drug in 2006. 

This ban has been crucial in the recovery of vulture populations. 12

Based on evidence from the Asian Vulture
Crisis, scientists warn:
13

Dwindling vulture populations and the absence of vultures will result in an
ecosystem 
imbalance.
 
Vultures are a keystone species; they provide a vital ecosystem service.

The absence of vultures results in an increase of populations of feral
dogs and rats, which are well-known disease reservoirs; and may
increase rates of infectious disease transmission to other species.

Diseases such as rabies and bubonic plague, for which dogs and
rats respectively are the primary 
reservoirs, may increase as a
consequence of vulture declines. 

Source: 
Dropping dead: Causes and consequences ​of vulture
population declines worldwide.

Vital Vulture Ecosystem Services

Once an animal dies, its body decomposes; this provides ideal conditions
for disease-causing bacteria and disease-
carrying flies to thrive.

All sorts of scavengers – insects, avian, and mammalian – come to feast
on the rotting 
carcass. 


Vultures are adapted to locate and consume carrion so efficiently that deadly
diseases don’t have a chance to spread.  Their potent stomach acids can kill

most
disease-causing bacteria.  Only some spores can survive their digestive
tract.


                                               
                                    The Scavenger Express

                    How fast can these winged scavengers remove rotting carcasses?


                    “It took just 20 minutes for a group of 150 vultures (see photo below)
                                      to strip an 800 kg (1764 lb) bull to the bone
.
                                                           -- VulPro 
                                                     
Picture
Photo by VulPro of a VulPro Feeding Station

“We cannot afford to lose vultures" 
​

says Maggie Hirschauer, a researcher at South Africa's Vulture
Conservation Programme (VulPro). 

“Vultures are an essential component of our ecosystems as they are
the most efficient and economical way to dispose of carcasses. Their
​presence reduces the risk of mammalian, insect, and spore-borne
disease transmission (rabies, blowfly epidemics, and anthrax,
respectively).”
14

Fragile:  
​

Produced by VulPro. Voice-over by Tim Neary.

This video shows the plight of the Cape Vulture and how VulPro is working to mitigate threats. 

 


Fragile from Walter Neser on Vimeo.


Meet Team Vulpro

Picture
Photo: VulPro staff conducts research. The vulture in the sack is being weighed.
Based just outside of Hartbeespoort Dam in South Africa, the VulPro team is hard at work.

VulPro advances vulture conservation by mitigating vulture threats and helping populations recover through

key programs:
  1. Scientific research
  2. Vulture rescue and rehabilitation
  3. Captive breeding  
  4. Education and outreach
  5. Working with land owners and businesses to mitigate all threats.
  6. Population surveys and monitoring
For more information on VulPro’s programs, visit: 
www.vulpro.com and
https://www.facebook.com/VulProAfrica/
​

Rescue & Rehabilitation

​Everyday, human threats kill or injure vultures.  

​
VulPro’s rescue squad is constantly on the move throughout South Africa 
collecting injured, poisoned, and disabled birds.  Birds are given medical
​attention at VulPro's state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre.
Picture
Photo by VulPro. Injured vultures often have to be slung until they can walk and fly again.
​Vultures that are deemed fit and healthy are released back into the wild.
Those that cannot survive in the wild are cared for in captivity, and
participate in the breeding program, as well as research and educational
programs.

VulPro's efforts are helping depleted vulture populations recover.  
Since
2007, VulPro has rehabilitated over 466 vultures; 60% of these birds
​have been released with a survival rate of 79%.
Picture
Photo by Ulla Gorber. Rehabilitated and captive bred vultures are tagged and released.

​The work is challenging. "I feel like I'm permanently collecting power line
related injured and dead vultures. One juvenile survived an electrocution
but the adult unfortunately had no chance. The young girl with us will need
time to heal, adjust and grow new feathers before she can fly again --
which will take a minimum of a year if she's lucky," says Wolter.
Picture
Electrocuted Cape Vulture
Picture
This electrocuted adult Cape Vulture didn't survive.

VulPro’s Captive Breeding Program 

mThis program ​is expanding to include all African vulture species.
 
The Breeding Cliff has been designed to accommodate the Cape Vulture’s particular breeding habits. 
It faces south because Cape Vultures only breed on south-facing cliffs
.
Picture
Photo by VulPro
​Breeding Cliff: 
Special steel supports, 
​concrete and wire provide
​a solid structure.


​​Accommodation:  
Individual ledges for 
each breeding pair.
 ​




​Materials:  
Nesting material is provided for
parents to build their own nests.
 




​The Brooder & Incubating Room  
PicturePhoto by VulPro
 
Here, VulPro incubates eggs and raises
the chicks that wouldn’t survive their
parents' care.  Staff removes eggs from
the nest and incubates them to protect
against possible unintentional damage
from inexperienced parents. 

Real eggs are replaced with dummy eggs.
Vulture parents don’t notice the difference.
​
Eggs are returned to parents just prior to
hatching. 

Picture
Photo by VulPro: Vulture parents tend to their hatching chick.
Eggs-traordinary Facts
  1. From egg to breeding age, the success rate is estimated at only about 5%.
  2. Cape Vultures lay one egg per year.
  3. The incubation period is 54 days.
Picture
Photo by VulPro

Spot the real egg:
Can you identify the real egg from the fake one?  
Picture
Photo by VulPro
Above:  An educational display of a false nest with:
    - a dummy wooden egg (left)
    - a real egg shell (right)
    - an open hatched egg shows blood 
      vessels and inner membranes 


Want to know how dummy eggs are made and placed in the nest?  
This video will show you how.

Laying Dummy Eggs at VulPro from Walter Neser on Vimeo.


The Vulture Trackers:  Where do vultures go?
​
Scientists use satellite telemetry and GPS/GSM technology  and wing tags to find out.

Picture
Tracked movements of a Cape Vulture that was rehabilitated & released in February 2015.
Picture
The VulPro team attaches a harness with a data logger onto a Cape Vulture.

​Where
are the vultures that VulPro has rehabilitated, bred and released
into the wild? 

How are the vultures coping and integrating in the wild?  

Tracking devices and reported wing tag sightings provide valuable
information.

 
Number of Tracked Vultures

    10 captive-bred birds with GPS tracking devices and wing tags (with another
         5 planned for 2016)
    90 wild and rehabilitated vultures fitted with GPS tracking devices and wing tags
  450 rehabilitated birds with wing tags 


GPS tracking devices
​

Each day, staff downloads data updates from the satellite tracking devices that are
attached onto the vultures. 

The data tells scientists: 

   1. ​where the vultures go 

   2. their flight speed and height
   3. 
the air temperature    
   4. how long they spend in a place     
   5. if they are still alive and when they die
      (The technology has already alerted staff to
 a group of poisoned dead vultures.) 

Data from both tracking methods is used to advance
vulture conservation:

​

    -  improve community education and conservation strategies

    -  better safeguard vulture food (from poisons) at vulture restaurants
    -  identify causes of mortality and locations of dangerous energy structures in order
​       to effectively mitigate these threats


   
   Scientific 
Research at Vulpro is vital in order to
   improve monitoring of wild populations of vultures



​Community Education & Outreach

Picture
Photo by VulPro. November 2015: Laerskool Panarama P. S. students participate in VulPro’s vulture education program.
Picture
Photo by VulPro. Kerri Wolter and Percy the Cape Vulture educate Mount Cambridge School students.

Every South African can play a role in removing vulture threats and helping
their populations to recover.  VulPro facilitates their participation through its
educational outreach programs.

 
Rehabilitation & Educational Centre

VulPro provides interactive educational programs that expose school groups
and the public to rehabilitated and wild vultures.  


Regional Workshops are held to
​

1.  Share research from vulture home range and feeding studies
2.  Present vulture poisoning information to conservationists, farmers,
     landowners and other members of the public
3. ​ Bring in vulture conservationists and interested parties from southern Africa
     and around the world to discuss vulture conservation methods and strategies
     (held annually)
4.  Provide training for vulture health, rehabilitation, and basic first aid

VulPro works extensively with key players that impact
vulture survival:


1)  Corporations, such as the power utility Eskom (South African electricity public
     utility) and municipalities
2)  Farmers and landowners, the agricultural and equestrian communities,
     veterinarians, agricultural drug companies and manufacturers, and
     government departments regarding the legal implications and sentences of
     poaching and poisonings
3)  Rural communities where traditional medicine is a huge issue
4)  The general public, all ages and demographics 
Picture
Vultures love to bathe. This one decided to take a bath during one of VulPro's educational talks.

Vulture Restaurants

A vulture restaurant is a feeding station that provides a regular supply of
poison-free and drug-free carrion.  Vultures quickly learn about these reliable
food sources and fly great distances to feed.


Watch the video below to observe vultures feeding at one of VulPro's Vulture
Restaurants.

Why do vultures need to fuel up at

vulture restaurants?


These restaurants are an important conservation strategy because they
provide vultures with a steady supply of food.

They compensate for the reduced natural food supply (due to development
and habitat destruction), and divert vultures from carcasses that have

been poisoned.
 
How many vulture restaurants are there?
Nearly 200 vulture restaurants are registered in South Africa.

 
VulPro shares up-to-date scientific research
when advising all restaurant managers and owners, and providing newsletter
updates on vulture threats, potential drugs that are harmful to vultures, and
best practices for managing the restaurants.
Design 101:
How do you design a vulture restaurant?
​​

First, you need to secure the vultures’ safety to ensure they keep coming
back.

1.  Provide adequate open space free of power lines or telephone lines: 
     - Vultures have a large wingspan and require lots of space to land and
        take off. 
     - Power lines nearby require a bird flapper on the
 top wire to make the 
       
wire easy to see, and prevent electrocutions.
 
2.  Include some trees or tall structures close by to provide vultures with
     roosting sites.
 
3.  Provide a water source. Vultures need water to wash off the goop after 
     fueling up on carrion.
Picture
Photo by VulPro. Tagged Cape Vulture making a splash.

Messages from the Vulture Scientists

PictureKerry Wolter soars with Cape Vultures.




























"I honestly believe that vultures chose me to be their voice as I
understand them, respect them and have been willing to learn
from them. They are our teachers, not the theory we learn about
in books.

They have inspired me to protect them as they have crept into my heart
and my life.”
 
​Conservationist Kerri Wolter’s
​message to students:

 
"Believe that one person can make a difference.  Follow your heart,
your passion and your dreams.  

Believe in yourself as an individual as YOU were born to make a beautiful
difference in this world, to make our world a better place for all species
alike in which man and beast can live in harmony together.

Be true to who you are and never give up the fight for doing what is right."


PictureDarcy Ogada is about to release a White-backed Vulture with a transmitter attached to it.
































Wildlife Biologist and Conservationist ​
Darcy Ogada's message to students:


"What can you do to help Africa's vultures?

Spread the word about their declines and the threats they face.

Ask local zoos to assist in raising awareness and funding for
conserving Africa's vultures.  Find out if they will take part in
Vulture Awareness Day (first Saturday in September)."        
​
PictureTammy Caine holds a sick Cape Vulture. "The bird was already very weak (when we found it), and unfortunately did not survive despite all our efforts."
   

Bird of Prey Rehabilitator and Conservationist ​
Tammy Caine's message to students:

​
“The new generation of conservation-minded kids can do a lot to help
vultures.


The more you learn and understand about vultures now, the better
equipped you will be 
as adults to protect them in the future.
 
Right now, you can educate people of all ages as to how important
vultures are in our 
ecosystems as cleaning agents who keep our
environment disease free.

​You can discourage the use of poisons across the board as this affects
the 
entire food chain right up to the scavengers at the top.

You can also encourage farmers to start vulture feeding sites by
dumping 
livestock which has not been treated with any medicines.
This will encourage vultures to use safe feeding sites and prevent
them from wandering 
far away to more dangerous areas.

Awareness of the dangers of power lines and wind turbines is another
important 
subject you can educate others about.
 
Hopefully some of our younger generation of upcoming engineers will
come up 
with new and better ideas for green energy that will not
negatively impact our 
​big birds of prey."

​

Environmentally Literate Kids Rock!


​"Tell me and I'll forget.
Show me, and I may not remember.
Involve me, and I'll understand."

Native American Proverb

​

Call to Action:  Grab your free resources here!

 1.  Free Ebook
 2.  Free Vulture Tic Tac Toe Game 
featuring learning activities that combine
        environmental literacy with math, science, language arts, media literacy,
        geography, art, and drama.

 3.  Two amazing videos to watch (resources for completing some of the Tic Tac Toe activities)

​

Freebie # 1:  PDF Ebook Grumpy & Loon, Vulture Facts & Games courtesy of VulPro
​



  Freebie #2: Vulture Tic Tac Toe Activities, Projects, Templates
​


​Video resources for the Vulture Tic Tac Toe activities


The video below is a resource for the Soar Like a Vulture; Perform a movement
sequence of a vulture in flight
Tic Tac Toe activity.  Source: VulPro
​​
Video Path into the Future is a resource for the following Vulture Tic Tac Toe activities: 
​
Raise Awareness Publicity Campaign
Perform a Rant: A Vulture’s Point of View 
Produce a Video: “Why I Care about Vultures."


Path into the Future is produced by African Renaissance Productions
as part of the Caretakers Series for STEPS and SANBI

Kerri takes us on a Path into the Future exploring not only threats on vulture survival,
such as the vulture parts trade and urbanization, but the wealth of knowledge and
freedom that ​these birds can pass on to the human race.

For more info go to - africanrenaissance.co.za
Music composed by - Dan Matthee

Path into the Future from Green Renaissance on Vimeo.

References:
    1. The Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. BirdLife International Data Zone Species Factsheet 

    2. Ogada, D. L., Keesing, F. and Virani, M. Z. (2012), Dropping dead: Causes and consequences of vulture population declines worldwide.
        Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249: 57–71. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06293.x

    3. “Conservationists warn Africa’s vultures are sliding towards extinction”  International News Release from BirdLife
         International for the IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species™.  (2015, October 29)
    4. Ogada, D., Shaw, P., Beyers, R. L., Buij, R., Murn, C., Thiollay, J. M., Beale, C. M., Holdo, R. M., Pomeroy, D., Baker, N., Krüger, S. C., Botha,
        A., Virani, M. Z., Monadjem, A. and Sinclair, A. R. E. (2015), Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward
        Extinction. Conservation Letters. doi: 10.1111/conl.12182 

    5. Ogada, D., Shaw, P., Beyers, R. L., Buij, R., Murn, C., Thiollay, J. M., Beale, C. M., Holdo, R. M., Pomeroy, D., Baker, N., Krüger, S. C., Botha,
        A., Virani, M. Z., Monadjem, A. and Sinclair, A. R. E. (2015),
Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward
        Extinction. Conservation Letters. doi: 10.1111/conl.12182 
   
    6.  “Large Vulture Poisoning Incident on ADC Mutara,”  by Darcy Ogada Raptor Working Group of Kenya
    7.  Electrical Wires. The Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project (Project Vulture) 
    8.  Traditional Medicine Harvesting. The Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project (Project Vulture) 
    9.  Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward Extinction. Conservation Letters.
   10. Dropping dead: Causes and consequences of vulture population declines worldwide.
   11. Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward Extinction. Conservation Letters.
   12. Dropping dead: Causes and consequences of vulture population declines worldwide.
   13. Dropping dead: Causes and consequences of vulture population declines worldwide.
   14. VulPro:
Save the Cape Vulture: Tracking Threatened Vultures in the Wild
 

Did you enjoy your adventure
with the Vulture Scientists?

Do you support environmental literacy?
Should we collaborate with scientists and conservationists
to protect declining wildlife populations?
​

Please add your insights and perspectives below.
Picture
Comments

    Deb Toor

    Nature Explorer & Story Spinner

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