Poachers Poison, Kill 150 Critically Endangered Vultures In Africa

At least 150 critically-endangered vultures are thought to have been poisoned to death by poachers in separate incidents in Botswana and in the Kruger National Park in north-eastern South Africa.

On Monday, Daily Sabah reports that Vulture poisoning is not uncommon in wildlife-rich southern Africa, where they are targeted by poachers because they draw unwanted attention to their illegal activities.

It added that their heads are also used in traditional medicine.

In the latest incidents, more than 50 white-backed vultures were found dead in Botswana's northern Chobe district, while about 100 more were discovered in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

According to vulture conservation group Vulpro, in both cases, the birds died after feeding from the carcass of a buffalo, which appeared to have been laced with poison.

Yolan Friedmann, the head of the Endangered Wildlife Trust conservation group, said in a statement; "Given the critical status of vultures globally, poisonings at this scale place the species at increasing risk of extinction."