Mass Vulture Poisoning in Mpumalanga – Over 250 Critically Endangered Birds Killed

19th May 2025409 Views 3 min read

By Trevor Oertel

A conservation catastrophe has struck Mpumalanga, where over 100 vultures have been found poisoned in Lionspruit Game Reserve near Marloth Park. Among the dead are 92 White-backed vultures (most of them breeding adults), 9 Hooded vultures, and 1 White-headed vulture—all listed as critically endangered.

Not too long ago, on 6 May 2025, a devastating poisoning incident in Kruger National Park claimed the lives of 123 vultures—one of the worst such events in Southern African history. Thanks to rapid intervention by rangers, vets, and conservation teams, 83 vultures are now in recovery.

SUCo-SA is deeply disturbed by this second mass vulture poisoning in just one month. As strong supporters of conservation, we are shocked by the scale and cruelty of this deliberate destruction. We unequivocally condemn such acts that devastate our wildlife, undermine biodiversity, and threaten already critically endangered species. This kind of ecological sabotage must be urgently addressed with stronger enforcement and collaboration to protect South Africa’s natural heritage.

Vultures play a critical role in ecosystems by safely disposing of carcasses, but synthetic poisons like carbamates and organophosphates act too quickly for even their resilient systems. With White-backed Vultures already down more than 80% in four decades, such mass deaths threaten to wipe them out—especially during peak breeding season when most pairs raise only one chick per year.

The scene in Lionspruit Game Reserve near Marloth Park was discovered thanks to GPS tracking of previously rehabilitated vultures released by VulPro and Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Their abnormal movement led to an immediate response by rangers, revealing a horrific site around a deliberately poisoned warthog carcass. There were no survivors.

Vultures are particularly vulnerable to deliberate poisoning—a method increasingly used by poachers to avoid detection. As one conservationist noted:

“Vultures bring patrols onto a carcass better than any other warning sign. I’ve witnessed their extirpation from entire reserves. In 2019, we had to burn the remains of over 400 poisoned birds in a single incident.”

Adding to the complex pressures vultures face, ecological imbalances caused by elephant overpopulation are compounding the crisis. As elephants exceed their carrying capacity in certain areas, they increasingly destroy large trees that vultures—and other large birds like eagles and Southern Ground Hornbills—rely on for nesting and breeding.

Meanwhile, the poisoning of vultures continues for three principal reasons:

(1) to supply body parts for traditional medicine (muthi), though this demand is relatively small and could be met ethically through “muthi banks” at rehabilitation centres using animals that die naturally or are humanely euthanised;

(2) secondary poisoning; and

(3) most alarmingly, to prevent vultures from revealing poached carcasses by circling overhead—a visual cue that attracts anti-poaching patrols.

Given this, organisations such as VulPro and others working in the conservation space should consider supporting the legal, sustainable trade of rhino horn, elephant ivory, and lion bones as a means of reducing black market activity, which fuels much of this covert and targeted poisoning.

A pragmatic, multi-layered strategy is urgently needed—one that defends vultures, supports sustainable use, and takes on poaching and ecological collapse together.

This isn’t just about saving birds—it’s about every egg, every nest and every life that counts.

This tragedy comes just days after VulPro formalised a long-term partnership with Wild and Free, launching a Vulture Emergency Response Unit in Mpumalanga. The unit enables: