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BirdLife South Africa supports International Vulture Awareness Day - 4 September 2010On 4 September 2010 International Vulture Awareness Day will focus the attention globally on vulture conservation. The aim is to focus on the dire plight of many of the world's vultures and highlight the awareness and regional activities of organisations who participate in vulture conservation. International Vulture Awareness Day has its roots in the awareness campaigns run by the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa, and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England. International Vulture Awareness Day fun-filled family day to be held on 4 September 2010. Read more ... For more information on how to become involved, please visit
South African organisations who participated in International Vulture Awareness Day in 2009 include the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary, BirdLife South Africa, Cango Wildlife Ranch, Endangered Wildlife Trust's Birds of Prey Working Group, South Africa Falconry Association, Lory Park Zoo, Vulcha Helpas and the Vulture Programme. Vultures have received recent media attention for their demand in the 'muti' trade and the associated risk of extinction in certain parts of their range. Apart from habitat loss and declining food availability, threats faced by these ecologically-important birds include secondary poisoning, powerline electrocutions and drowning in farm reservoirs. Nine species of vultures are found in South Africa. The Egyptian Vulture is listed as Regionally Extinct, the Bearded Vulture as Endangered and five species (Cape Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture and White-headed Vulture) are listed as Vulnerable in The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (Barnes 2000). The Cape Vulture is almost exclusively found in South Africa and its conservation has been the focus of South African conservationists and ornithologists for many years. |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 June 2011 01:39 |
