A poisoning crisis in South Africa’s Kruger region has put the Vulture population at risk with expert warning that it could lead to the species' extinction.
According to the co-chair of the Vulture Specialist Group at the IUCN, Andre Botha, the Kruger National Park has become a graveyard of vultures with nearly 2,000 being poisoned since 2015.
In 2025 alone, almost 400 vultures have died due to poisoning with nearly 300 in May alone.
In July, a buffalo laced with poison caused the death of seven crocodiles, 127 vultures and a black-backed jackal.
Multiple experts have claimed that the region, previously a hub of poaching and poisoning, is now seeing a growing trend of vultures being deliberately targeted.
Andre Botha claimed, “The media spins the narrative regarding poisoning and does not report on the lack of coordinated action to address this challenge by statutory institutions.”
The data from African Wildlife Poisoning Database suggests that around 2410 vultures have been killed by poisoning whereas Andre claims the number may be higher than being reported.
CEO of Vulpro, a vulture conservation non-profit organization, Kerri Wolter said the data suggests that poachers are trying to completely eliminate vultures as they can act as an early warning for rangers.
She added that no body parts of the birds were removed in recent incidents, meaning “poachers are actually trying to eradicate vultures in our skies.”
Vultures are not the only ones being targeted by poisoning as 53 lions have also been killed since 2015.
