A new study published in the journal Conservation Biology reveals that Critically Endangered African vultures are in steep decline in southern Tanzania due to poisoning and could soon go extinct. The study is the result of more than a decade of field research from a team of scientists from the North Carolina Zoo (NCZ) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
African vultures are one of the fastest declining groups of birds globally, and several species are now considered to be Critically Endangered due primarily to poisoning. People lace dead animals (or carcasses) with pesticides sometimes in retaliation for livestock losses to predators like lions or in deliberate efforts to kill vultures for trade in their body parts. Even worse, poachers will sometimes poison vultures to avoid detection of their illegal hunting activities by rangers.
The NCZ/WCS research team satellite-tagged 62 Critically Endangered White-backed vultures along with White-headed and hooded vultures for monitoring between 2015-21. They found that 18 died (with an additional eight also believed dead) with at least six of these deaths confirmed to be caused by poisoning. Such high mortality rates mean that the vulture population could be declining by as much as 26 percent annually and could go extinct in the near future. Roadside counts, which provide information for all scavenging raptors in the area, also found similarly high rates of decline, particularly for White-backed, White-headed, and Lappet-faced vultures.
“Tanzania’s vultures are disappearing too, despite living in some of the largest protected area networks on the continent,” said Dr. Corinne Kendall, curator of Conservation and Research at NCZ and lead author on the study.
“Vultures are so important for ecosystem health and play an important role in disease control and waste removal. Their loss in Tanzania could have cascading effects on the ecosystem and this is why we must continue critical efforts to conserve them,” said Aaron Nicholas, Director of Ruaha-Katavi Landscape Program for WCS in Tanzania.
Findings from the study have helped pinpoint key areas of poisoning concern where NCZ and WCS will continue working to fight poisoning to ensure a future for Tanzania’s – and Africa’s – vultures.
The study can be accessed online at https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.14146.
About the North Carolina Zoo
The North Carolina Zoo is nestled on 2,600 wooded acres centrally located in the heart of North Carolina, just south of Asheboro in Randolph County. With 500 developed acres, it is the world's largest natural habitat zoo. Moreover, the Zoo is one of two state-supported zoos in North Carolina. The North Carolina Zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the North Carolina Symphony, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.