A conservation criminology-based desk assessment of vulture poisoning in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area

Gore, Meredith L.; Hübschle, Annette; Botha, André; Coverdale, Brent; Garbett, Rebecca; Harrell, Reginal M.; Krüger, Sonja; Mullinax, Jennifer M.; Olson, Lars J.; Ottinger, Mary Ann; Smit‐Robinson, Hanneline; Shaffer, L. Jen; Thompson, Lindy J.; Heever, Linda van den

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01076

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This study showed an almost total absence of vultures and low encounter rates for other raptor species, suggesting a decline in their abundance, most likely due to multiple threats recorded and discussed previously (Saidu & Buij 2013, Freitas et al 2020, Gore et al 2020, Owolabi et al 2020, Williams et al 2021. Nonetheless, some of the encounter rates (e.g., Yellow-billed Kite, Grasshopper Buzzard, and Black-winged Kite) are in fact not particularly low compared to other studies (e.g., Thiollay 2006).…”

Section: Vulture News 82contrasting

confidence: 49%

Only one vulture was detected during transect surveys in northern Nigeria.

Ringim¹,

Ivande²,

Muhammad³

et al. 2022

Vul. News

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Vulture and raptor populations have declined across West Africa during recent decades due to numerous and widespread anthropogenic threats. To estimate encounter rates of vultures and raptors in northern Nigeria, we conducted a total of 248 km driven transects on 195 km and 53 km of paved and unpaved roads, respectively. We also conducted walked surveys beneath 79 km of power transmission lines to search for dead vultures and raptors; and visited 12 abattoirs, 11 slaughterhouses, and 12 dumpsites to assess the occurrence of vultures and raptors. All fieldwork was done between October and December 2018. Overall, 357 individuals of 23 species were detected, most of which were recorded at low encounter rates. Only one Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus was recorded across all surveys, and no other vulture species were seen. Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius, Grasshopper Buzzard Butastur rufipennis, and Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus had the highest encounter rates of 0.351, 0.262, and 0.189 individuals km-1, respectively. In contrast, the largest raptor species, Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus, Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus, Beaudouin's Snake-eagle, and Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus had the lowest encounter rate of 0.004 individuals km-1 (one individual each). No dead vultures or raptors were found during the walked surveys beneath power lines. Although historical data about vulture and raptor distribution and abundance in northern Nigeria are limited, our results show an apparent absence of vultures from the wider landscape and a low density of raptors. Support among local stakeholders for the conservation of vultures and raptors should be encouraged through wider dissemination of information about the importance of these birds, as well as stronger deterrents again illegal killing and trade.

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Section: Vulture News 82contrasting

confidence: 49%

Only one vulture was detected during transect surveys in northern Nigeria.

Ringim¹,

Ivande²,

Muhammad³

et al. 2022

Vul. News

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“…Both wild capture and captive breeding of wildlife are inherently associated with animal welfare concerns as the potential for suffering exists throughout every stage of the trade chain (Baker et al, 2013;D'Cruze et al, 2020b). Wildlife trade can also have widespread repercussions for ecosystems and communities; pesticides and other poisons are increasingly used to harvest wildlife for the commercial trade in traditional medicine (Ogada, 2014), the effects of which cascade out to threaten human, wildlife, and ecosystem health as they indiscriminately poison non-target species (Gore et al, 2020). This is particularly concerning in cases where such activities occur in or near protected areas, such as the vulture populations targeted for use in traditional medicine close to the Kruger National Park (Mashele et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

et al. 2022

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The use of animals and plants as traditional remedies for medical and magico-religious purposes has a long history of socio-cultural and economic importance in South Africa. Herein, we aim to characterize the social and economic value of wild animal species used in traditional, belief-based medicine within South Africa from traditional healers’ perspective and to explore healers’ knowledge of plant-based alternatives to wildlife-based derivatives for this type of trade. Through structured surveys with five traditional healers, we sought to gain insight into the range of wild animal species used, as well as the purpose, the perceived commercial value and the perceived availability of commonly used species. Particular focus was placed on exploring the socio-economic value of lions due to their prominence within the traditional medicine market, both in South Africa and internationally. Three of the respondents interviewed had been generating an income from traditional healing for between 30 and 50 years, and the overall monetary gain across all respondents was between ZAR 30,000 (1,800 USD) and 120,000 (7,200 USD) per annum. Our study confirms that a wide range of wild animal species are used in traditional healing practices in South Africa, for both medicinal and magico-religious purposes. The traditional healers we interviewed cited 20 common wild animals from a range of vertebrate classes including birds, reptiles, mammals, and one invertebrate. These included a number of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Traditional healers cited 32 different uses for wild animal parts, as well as 19 alternative plant-based preparations. For lions specifically, four out of five practitioners listed lions among their top three profitable derivatives and three practitioners reported that lion had become the most rare or unavailable species in the last 5 years. Although our study is based on a limited number of interview participants, we believe that our findings provide valuable initial insights into the socio-economic drivers of traditional healing practices in South Africa, and that further research quantifying medicinal and belief-based use of wild animal ingredients and their plant-based alternatives could help to inform approaches to managing related pressures exerted on wild populations in South Africa in the future.

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“…Similarly, focusing on addressing the threats to White-backed Vultures will address many of the management needs of co-occurring vulture species (Ogada et al, 2016;Botha et al, 2017;Murn and Botha, 2018;. The use of the White-backed Vulture as an umbrella species may augment other vulture conservation tools, such as identifying priority areas for conservation (Santangeli et al, 2019), retrofitting unsafe energy infrastructure (Perold et al, 2020), reducing wildlife poisoning, and its effects (Gore et al, 2020), reducing the trade in vultures for bushmeat and traditional medicine (Buij et al, 2016;Boakye et al, 2019), phasing out lead ammunition (Margalida et al, 2013), and encouraging hunting (which both preserves habitat and provides food for vultures) where appropriate (Mateo-Tomás and Olea, 2010). However, we should not overlook the conservation needs of any vulture species whose distributions, diets, and other natural history traits (Table 6) are not well-represented by the White-backed Vulture.…”

Section: Assessing African Vultures As Umbrella Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing African Vultures as Biomonitors and Umbrella Species

Thompson¹,

Krüger²,

Coverdale³

et al. 2021

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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African vulture populations are rapidly declining, yet funding and other resources available for their conservation are limited. Improving our understanding of which African vulture species could best serve as an umbrella species for the entire suite of African vultures could help conservationists save time, money, and resources by focusing their efforts on a single vulture species. Furthermore, improving our understanding of the suitability of African vultures as biomonitors for detecting environmental toxins could help conservation authorities to detect changes in ecosystem health. We used a systematic approach based on criteria selected a priori to objectively evaluate the potential of each of the 10 resident African vulture species as (i) an umbrella species for all of the African vulture species, and (ii) an avian biomonitor. For each criterion, we scored the respective African vulture species and summed the scores to determine which species was best suited as an umbrella species and as an avian biomonitor. Our results showed that, overall, certain aspects of vulture ecology (large population sizes, large body sizes, long lifespans, and their ability to be monitored over numerous seasons) support their suitability as biomonitors, while other ecological traits, including their diets and the public's perceptions of vultures, could diminish their suitability. The White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) was the best fit of the 10 vulture species in our assessment as both an avian biomonitor and an umbrella species for all African vulture species. Meanwhile, significant knowledge gaps for other species inhibit their utility as biomonitors. Due to their large home-range sizes, African vultures may only be useful as biomonitors at a regional scale. However, there could be value in using the White-backed Vulture as an umbrella species, as an aid to conserve the entire suite of African vulture species.

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A conservation criminology-based desk assessment of vulture poisoning in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area

Cited by 16 publications

References 49 publications

Only one vulture was detected during transect surveys in northern Nigeria.

Only one vulture was detected during transect surveys in northern Nigeria.

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

Assessing African Vultures as Biomonitors and Umbrella Species

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