Latest news with #KerriWolter
Russia Today
09-08-2025
- General
- Russia Today
South African breeding program welcomes new baby vultures (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Twenty vulture chicks have hatched at South Africa's Shamwari Private Game Reserve during the current breeding season. The update, reported by IOL on Wednesday, occurred just over a year after VulPro, South Africa's foremost vulture conservation organization, transportied 160 birds 1,000 kilometers from their original base in Hartebeespoort to purpose-built enclosures at Shamwari. 'Vultures only lay one egg per year during breeding season, that's it,' VulPro CEO Kerri Wolter said. 'With such low reproductive rates, we cannot sustain the current losses,' she explained. Wolter warned that when populations fall too low, they may stop breeding altogether. 'Our focus must be on preventing this while simultaneously tackling the various threats they face,' she said. The breeding window runs from July 1 through mid-August, and conservationists expect more hatchlings to follow in the coming weeks. VulPro's breeding program uses only non-releasable vultures — birds permanently injured, often by powerlines, but still able to reproduce. Established in 2007, VulPro has documented alarming vulture mortality. Between 2020 and 2025, at least 191 vultures from three species — Cape, White-backed, and Lappet-faced — died or were injured due to powerline collisions. About 40 deaths were recorded in a single year, with an average of three birds killed monthly. The group has tallied 473 such cases since its inception, though the actual toll is believed to be higher due to underreporting. 'In the past month alone, we've responded to multiple vulture emergencies—birds with severe burns, broken wings, and traumatic injuries after colliding with power infrastructure,' Wolter said. In May, VulPro and the Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre in Mpumalanga, a province in eastern South Africa, confirmed a major vulture poisoning incident in Lionspruit Game Reserve near Marloth Park. Over 100 of the birds died, including 92 White-backed vultures, 90% of which were breeding adults, 9 Hooded vultures, and one adult male White-headed vulture.
Daily Maverick
08-08-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Flight plan — 23 vulture chicks hatch at Eastern Cape reserve, marking rewilding milestone
A year after relocating 160 vultures across more than 1,000 kilometres, non-profit organisation Vulpro has announced the birth of more than 20 chicks at its breeding centre at Shamwari Private Game Reserve — a critical step in the fight to save Africa's rapidly declining vulture populations. Just over a year after completing South Africa's largest-ever vulture relocation, conservation non-profit Vulpro is celebrating a breakthrough breeding season — with 23 vulture chicks hatched at its new facility at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. The chicks, all born since 1 July, mark a significant milestone for the species and for Vulpro's Captive Breeding Programme, which relocated 160 birds across 1,042 kilometres from a facility in Hartbeespoort to purpose-built enclosures at Shamwari in 2024. On Thursday, Vulpro CEO Kerri Wolter said of the 23 hatchlings, 20 were Cape vultures and three were white-backed vultures, with 'still more to come. We're hoping to have five white-backed this year,' she said. Vultures in crisis The relocation and breeding success form part of a broader effort to prevent the collapse of Africa's vulture populations, which face a perfect storm of threats — from habitat loss and poisoning to powerline and wind turbine collisions. Vultures are also naturally slow to reproduce, with some species reaching sexual maturity only after seven years and laying just one egg per year. Even under ideal wild conditions, only around 5% of chicks survive to adulthood. In some parts of South Africa, local extinctions have been recorded. 'It's important to note that when vultures reduce to critical levels, they also stop breeding,' warned Wolter. 'We need to prevent that whilst simultaneously addressing the threats.' Teaming up For Shamwari general manager Joe Cloete, teaming up with Vulpro was a no-brainer. He said, 'It's all about conserving a vanishing way of life. We've brought back various other animal species that used to occur in the Eastern Cape. The vultures are no different. 'You need vultures in the greater ecosystem because they clean the African bush. They form a very important cog in the whole ecosystem. He said Cape vultures and Egyptian vultures were indigenous to the Eastern Cape. 'It's just part of what we do at Shamwari to rewild this area. We brought back the flightless dung beetle and the red-billed oxpecker, and the Cape vulture is no different.' Wolter said the hatchlings would be released in provinces where they originated, with the white-backed vultures going to the northern parts of South Africa and the Cape vultures set to be released in the Eastern Cape. Cloete said it was fascinating to see where the vultures flew once they'd been released. He said after incubation and hatching, chicks were returned to their 'original mom for six months, and then they go into a pre-release enclosure for about six months' before being released into the wild with transmitters so their movements can be followed. 'You know, people actually follow their movements … there are all sorts of funny apps you can go on and you can find out where the birds are moving,' said Cloete. Grounded but giving back Vulpro exclusively uses non-releasable birds for breeding. These birds, while unable to return to the wild because of injuries or disabilities, can still contribute to their species' survival through reproduction. Wolter said, 'What's so special about our programme is that all our non-releasable disabled birds are able to still have value. They're not just sitting in an enclosure being viewed or kept on an asset register with a price tag on their heads; they are used to contribute to their wild counterparts' survival.' She said this approach eliminated the ethical concerns of removing healthy wild birds from already fragile populations while providing a meaningful purpose for injured raptors that would otherwise require lifelong care. Breeding, behaviour and biology Wolter said managing a successful breeding programme required an intricate understanding of vulture behaviour and biology. The birds are monogamous, with breeding pairs sharing responsibilities for nest building, incubation and chick rearing over a 54-day incubation period. 'Sometimes they fight over who's breeding the chick or who's incubating the egg. They fight for those responsibilities. To me, that is quite cute. Breeding always shows me how fragile and how gentle they are,' she said. The programme employs sophisticated techniques, including double clutching, where removing the first egg can stimulate birds to lay a second one, effectively doubling reproductive output. Careful record-keeping ensures genetic lineages are maintained, and chicks are returned to their biological parents after assisted hatching when necessary. 'The importance of any captive breeding programme is very, very stringent record-keeping. You know which egg and which chick needs to go back to which pair,' explained Wolter. Lessons from Asia's vulture crisis Vulpro's approach, she said, drew crucial lessons from the Asian vulture crisis, where delayed action nearly resulted in complete extinction. Asian conservation efforts required capturing healthy wild birds for breeding programmes after populations had already crashed. 'If anything, what we learned from that breeding programme is that it is never too early to start a founding population of species before you have to take birds out of the wild,' said Wolter. 'The success of your breeding programme takes years to nurture.' DM
The Citizen
01-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Worst mass vulture killing in Mpumalanga Lowveld history: Poisonings spark ecological crisis
Vultures are scavengers that keep the ecosystem healthy by consuming carcasses and preventing diseases from spreading. Without them the human population could be in danger. A mass poisoning that took place on May 6 in the Lionspruit Reserve next to Marloth Park is the worst mass killing of vultures in the history of the Lowveld with authorities looking at a possible syndicate responsible for the killings. SANParks rangers, VulPro and the Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre attended the horrific scene where over 100 vultures died. 'To lose to this number of vultures – let alone adult breeding birds during breeding season – is an ecological crisis,' Kerri Wolter, CEO of Vulpro, stated. The birth of 'The Vulture Ops' VulPro and Wild and Free have joined forces to combat this issue and call the new organisation The Vulture Ops. They conduct regular meetings and operate in smaller teams to facilitate quicker response times when alerted about poisonings. ALSO READ: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Catastrophic vulture poisoning incident near Marloth Park The team collected samples from poisoned carcasses for testing to learn more about the poison and its harmful effect on these bird that are known for having strong digestive systems. Vultures can digest anything from bones to deadly bacteria like TB, anthrax, and the rabies virus that all occur naturally in carcasses. Hopes that investigation will shed light on killings 'The SAPS are investigating and might be able to enlighten us soon,' Laura Mukwevho, a SANParks media relations practitioner, commented. Mukwevho explained that they plan to prevent future attacks by initiating proactive intelligence gathering, intensive deployment of technology, and implementing manpower to hotspots to speed up response time to incidents. No arrests have been made so far and SAPS continues to look for the culprits and a possible syndicate that could be behind these operations. Co-ordinated strikes using illegal substance 'It appears there's a syndicate targeting vultures to eliminate these biological indicators. We're losing hundreds of birds in co-ordinated strikes. This isn't random, it's strategic,' said toxicologist, Dr Gerhard Verdoorn. ALSO READ: GRAPHIC CONTENT: More than 100 vultures killed in Kruger National Park Verdoorn, the director of the Griffon Poison Information Centre, suspects the illegal substance used in the poisoning could be Aldicarb and/or Terbufos. Terbufos is the toxin that caused the death of six children after they consumed snacks from a spaza shop in Soweto recently. Wildlife and humans at risk if vultures go extinct In addition to cleaning carcasses, vultures act as aerial alarms in the fight against poaching. Without them, humans and wildlife would be more prone to severe illness and we would see a significant rise in extinctions. 'When carcasses remain exposed to the environment for weeks, it results in a build-up of harmful diseases and bacteria such as anthrax, botulism and rabies, which not only negatively affect our wildlife, but humans too. Should vultures go extinct, wildlife and humans will be vulnerable to disease outbreaks from carcasses,' Mukwevho said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
31-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Mass vulture poisonings spark ecological crisis in the Lowveld
Vultures are scavengers that keep the ecosystem healthy by consuming carcasses and preventing diseases from spreading. Without them the human population could be in danger. A mass poisoning that took place on May 6 in the Lionspruit Reserve next to Marloth Park is the worst mass killing of vultures in the history of the Lowveld. SANParks rangers, VulPro and the Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre attended the horrific scene where over 100 vultures died. 'To lose to this number of vultures – let alone adult breeding birds during breeding season – is an ecological crisis,' Kerri Wolter, CEO of Vulpro, stated. VulPro and Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre have joined forces to combat this issue and call the new organisation The Vulture Ops. They conduct regular meetings and operate in smaller teams to facilitate quicker response times when alerted about poisonings. ALSO READ: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Catastrophic vulture poisoning incident near Marloth Park The team collected samples from poisoned carcasses for testing to learn more about the poison and its harmful effect on these bird that are known for having strong digestive systems. Vultures can digest anything from bones to deadly bacteria like TB, anthrax, and the rabies virus that all occur naturally in carcasses. 'The SAPS are investigating and might be able to enlighten us soon,' Laura Mukwevho, a SANParks media relations practitioner, commented. Mukwevho further explained that they plan to prevent future attacks by initiating proactive intelligence gathering, intensive deployment of technology, and implementing manpower to hotspots to speed up response time to incidents. No arrests have been made so far and SAPS continues to look for the culprits and a possible syndicate that could be behind these operations. 'It appears there's a syndicate targeting vultures to eliminate these biological indicators. We're losing hundreds of birds in co-ordinated strikes. This isn't random, it's strategic,' said toxicologist, Dr Gerhard Verdoorn. ALSO READ: GRAPHIC CONTENT: More than 100 vultures killed in Kruger National Park Verdoorn, the director of the Griffon Poison Information Centre, suspects the illegal substance used in the poisoning could be Aldicarb and/or Terbufos. Terbufos is the toxin that caused the death of six children after they consumed snacks from a spaza shop in Soweto recently. In addition to cleaning carcasses, vultures act as aerial alarms in the fight against poaching. Without them, humans and wildlife would be more prone to severe illness and we would see a significant rise in extinctions. 'When carcasses remain exposed to the environment for weeks, it results in a build-up of harmful diseases and bacteria such as anthrax, botulism and rabies, which not only negatively affect our wildlife, but humans too. Should vultures go extinct, wildlife and humans will be vulnerable to disease outbreaks from carcasses,' Mukwevho said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Cloned - New poisoning tactics threaten South Africa's endangered vultures
More than 100 vultures, all endangered, died in a mass poisoning in the Kruger National Park. Image: Supplied. SOUTH Africa is facing what conservationists call a growing and coordinated threat to endangered wildlife, following two mass vulture poisoning incidents in the space of just over a week — one in Kruger National Park and another in Lionspruit Game Reserve, Mpumalanga. Combined, these events have killed over 220 vultures, a devastating blow to already fragile populations. Experts warn that such poisonings are not isolated but point to an emerging poaching tactic using laced carcasses to eliminate vultures — which often alert authorities to wildlife crimes — and possibly divert attention from larger operations. On 18 May, VulPro and Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre confirmed the deaths of over 100 vultures at Lionspruit near Marloth Park. The site was identified via GPS signals from previously rehabilitated vultures. Responders found dozens of birds dead around a poisoned warthog carcass. There were no survivors. The victims included 92 White-backed Vultures (90% breeding adults), nine Hooded Vultures, and one White-headed Vulture — all Critically Endangered. No body parts were removed, indicating the motive was likely not linked to traditional medicine practices. 'The scale of this poisoning is devastating and appears to be part of a much bigger, targeted operation,' said Kerri Wolter, CEO of VulPro. 'We are genuinely terrified of what next is going to occur.' Samples were collected for toxicological testing, which may lead to legal action. Wolter has appealed to all rehabilitation centres in the Lowveld to halt vulture releases until threats are assessed. 'This is not just about one event. It's about a systemic threat to our natural balance,' she added. Just days earlier, on 7 May, a similarly horrific incident took place in Kruger National Park's Mahlangeni Section. SANParks has confirmed it as one of the largest mass vulture poisonings in Southern Africa, with 123 birds killed and 84 rescued in what became a landmark emergency operation. According to JP Louw, SANParks Head of Communications, 'The incident is one of the largest seen in the park. A total of 116 vultures were found dead at the scene.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 100 Vultures were found dead just a week after the Kruger National Park incident Image: Supplied Rangers discovered the poisoning at a laced elephant carcass. Two vultures were barely alive and received on-site treatment. A multi-agency effort followed, including teams from Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Briner and Wildscapes Veterinary Services, and SANParks aerial support. This marked the first time SANParks deployed helicopters for a poisoning rescue of this scale. Eighty-four vultures — including White-backed, Cape, and Hooded species — were rescued. Most were transported via the EWT's specialised vulture ambulance or airlifted to SANParks' Phalaborwa K9 facility. A remarkable 96% survival rate was achieved. 'This marks one of the most extensive coordinated response and rescue efforts to date,' Louw said, noting that early detection systems and NGO collaboration played a critical role. These events form part of a wider, growing crisis: the use of agricultural poisons in poaching to target both vultures and species like lions, whose body parts are in demand for muthi. 'This is a setback for the vulture population in the Greater Kruger landscape,' said Louw. 'SANParks continues working with agencies to address this rise in poisoning events.' Despite the scale of the event, SANParks has not yet issued a formal appeal to the National Wildlife Poisoning Prevention Working Group (NWPPWG). Peter Mbelengwa, head of communication and advocacy at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, confirmed that the department is aware of the incidents 'SANParks will continue to update the Department on the progress of investigations through official channels.' Mbelengwa said the department has been actively involved in efforts to address wildlife poisoning and is committed to regulating the sale and use of agrochemicals. 'The National Wildlife Poisoning Prevention Working Group (NWPPWG) is working to ensure that agricultural pesticides are responsibly imported, sold, stored, and disposed of. Our goal is to eradicate the illegal use of pesticides and prevent their use in wildlife crimes,' Mbelengwa explained. 'The devastating impacts of poisoning on vultures highlight the urgent need for coordinated conservation efforts,' Mbelengwa continued. Vultures are also listed on the endangered species list. Image: Supplied 'South Africa's vultures are facing significant threats, with three of the seven resident species listed as Critically Endangered. Without effective conservation actions, these species could become extinct in the near future.' In response to this growing crisis, Mbelengwa pointed to the recent publication of a Multi-species Biodiversity Management Plan for Vultures, which is now being implemented. 'This plan, developed by the Minister, aims to recover vulture populations to acceptable levels by 2033,' Mbelengwa said. 'It is vital that we work both nationally and internationally to address the challenges vultures face.' 'We will continue to support SANParks and NGOs in their efforts to detect and respond to wildlife poisoning. Our commitment to protecting South Africa's biodiversity remains unwavering,' he concluded. Weekend Argus
