Narrow escape for Cape Vulture 283

Hartebeespoort – A young Cape Vulture was brought to VulPro Vulture Rehabilitation Centre, about a year ago after it sustained life-threatening injuries.

VulPro managed to pull the vulture through and it was later released at the Magaliesburg Mountains. The same bird, this time, sustained nearly-fatal injuries.

The Cape Vulture, tagged as CV 283, was found on 10 April at Molteno in the Eastern Cape near a turbine located on a wind farm, alive but electrocuted with a badly burnt and infested wing covered with maggots. The vulture was collected and brought to VulPro on 11 April.

The recent incident has sent shock waves within the community that is protecting and rehabilitating extinct birds such as the Cape Vulture. It is feared that with the increased development of wind turbines, so will the number of the already extinct vulture decrease.

A statement issued by VulPro, puts the figure on the decline of many species of vultures at 80% in the last three decades. “Cape Vultures are classified as endangered with just 4,200 breeding pairs left globally. The Cape Vulture is the only endemic vulture species to Southern Africa and has already become extinct as a breeding species in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland,” Kate Webster of VulPro said.

“VulPro will continue to tackle conservation of African vulture populations; however, expects that development in the wind industry will take heed of the precarious position these birds hold in the Eastern Cape,” Webster added.