Simon Nare
The Kruger National Park is struggling to understand a rise in vulture poisonings, with officials saying the scale of the incidents has increased, and warning that the losses could undermine conservation gains in one of Africa’s flagship reserves.
Head of rangers Cathy Dreyer told journalists during an excursion at the park this week that the deaths were difficult to explain because vultures offered nothing of material value to poachers, unlike lions, elephants or rhinos.
“We have our own assumptions, but we are still not sure why this is happening,” she said.
Dreyer said 2025 had been the worst year thus far. She said the park had recorded 866 poisoned vultures since 2023, more than any other species. Dreyer said impala were a distant second with 35 cases, followed by Egyptian geese on 33, lions on 30, tawny eagle on 21 and hyenas on 19.
Vultures play a vital role in ecosystems as obligate scavengers, rapidly removing carcasses, recycling nutrients and helping limit disease risks, including anthrax, while reducing conditions that can increase other zoonotic threats.
Across Africa’s 11 vulture species, seven are listed as threatened according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while four are classified as critically endangered after steep population declines.
Poachers may intentionally poison carcasses to remove vultures as “sentinels” that can reveal illegal kills, while belief-based use and trade in vulture parts further intensify the threat.
A ranger who was not authorised to speak to the media told Inside Metros the birds may be dying as collateral damage from poisoned carcasses set by poachers targeting other species, including lions for skins and teeth. The ranger said vultures were likely dying after feeding on contaminated remains.
The latest concern follows a major poisoning incident in early May in Kruger’s Mahlangeni section, where an elephant carcass was laced with highly toxic agrochemical pesticides. SANParks and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) said 116 vultures were found dead at the scene and that at least 123 ultimately died, while 84 were rescued in a large-scale emergency operation that included helicopter airlifts.
The EWT said its “Eye in the Sky” tracking and alert system has helped identify dozens of poison sources since 2023, but warned that delays can be fatal, citing an incident in northern Kruger in March 2024 in which more than 80 vultures were poisoned.
The crisis is not confined to the park. Days after the Mahlangeni incident, more than 100 vultures died at Lionspruit Game Reserve near Marloth Park. Among the dead were 92 white-backed vultures.
Park authorities said they are preparing for the festive season, a period when poaching activity typically rises, and urged the public to report suspicious activity.
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