New online database could reduce poisonous threat to vultures

(text from the Peregrine Fund eNewsletter & Endangered Wildlife Trust)

The Peregrine Fund is excited to be part of a team announcing a new online database that could reduce vulture poisoning incidents in East Africa. 

Using poisons to kill wildlife in Africa has had a devastating effect on many species over the past decade. Species killed by poison include, lions, hyenas, elephants, eagles, and more. Vultures are often impacted at a higher rate by a poisoning incident due to their propensity for feeding in large groups and because they are often the first to arrive at a carcass. The Peregrine Fund has been working with partners across Africa to put an end to the practice of poisoning wildlife, and in collaboration with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Vulture Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, and The Gadfly Project, we have now collated all historical and current incidents of wildlife poisoning into the new African Wildlife Poisoning Database (AWPD). We are particularly excited to be launching this new database now as this weekend the world will be celebrating International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). IVAD is the first Saturday of September each year set aside for organizations around the world to highlight vulture conservation and awareness. 

Read more about the AWPD.

• So far, this database contains records of 272 poisoning incidents that have killed over 8,000 animals of 40 different species, from 15 countries. ​
• Poisoning is the most significant threat to vultures in Africa and Eurasia and, over the last 30 years, has contributed to declines in excess of 80% in some African species.