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At least 124 vultures died in South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park after eating the carcass of an elephant that was poisoned with agricultural pesticides by poachers.
Park authorities said, “84 vultures were rescued in a coordinated emergency response involving helicopters, ambulances and nearly a day of intensive care. One of the birds subsequently died.”
The scene was discovered after an environment group’s remote sensing system triggered an alarm, flagging suspicious activity in a remote section of the park.
Within hours, a joint team had been mobilized which found the mass poisoning event, the largest of its kind recorded in southern Africa.
The 124 dead vultures, included 102 white-backed vultures, 20 Cape vultures, and one lappet-faced vulture, all species listed as endangered or critically endangered.
Experts says poachers are increasingly placing agricultural toxins on elephant carcasses to kill the birds which might otherwise alert rangers by circling overhead.
Vultures play a key role in ecosystems by consuming the carcasses of dead animals and reducing the spread of diseases.
Many vulture species are endangered in Africa because of poisoning and other threats to them.
