Curbing the impact of trade-motivated poisoning on Critically Endangered vultures in southern Africa

In southern Africa, vultures are threatened by poisoning related to both illegal trade in vulture parts for belief-based uses and direct persecution by poachers who attempt to eliminate vultures to disguise illegal hunting of elephants or other wildlife.

To address the illegal killing of vultures, this two-year grant will support: 12 training sessions for law enforcement and conservation staff from six southern African countries (Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique) in the effective management, investigation, and decontamination of poisoning incidents to reduce losses and prevent further impacts to the environment; production of a guide for law enforcement and conservation staff when responding to poisoning incidents; issuance of poisoning response kits for use by law enforcement and conservation staff to conduct crime scene investigations and decontaminate the environment to prevent any future poisoning; production of an awareness tool to highlight the threat to human health posed by the use of poison on wildlife; and distribution of the awareness tool in known wildlife poisoning hotspots in target countries.