WILDLIFE POISONING The Long Road to Vulture Recovery in Kenya At the core of poisoning is human-carnivore conflict, which happens when pastoralists lose livestock and retaliate with poisons.

In Kenya, poison is the main threat, with 60 per cent of reported deaths linked to poisoning. Five out of eight vulture species in Kenya are n Laikipia County, northwest of Mount listed as endangered or critically endangered Kenya, seven Rüppell’s vultures, eleven by the IUCN. TOP tawny eagles, and a jackal died in April Some ivory poachers poison vultures The Rüppell's vulture after eating poisoned camel meat. The because they give away the location of dead is the world's highest- Iincident happened after a camel herdsman elephants. But most poisonings happen when flying bird. This allegedly lost two of his animals to lions. vultures consume contaminated bait intended critically endangered In December 2015, the Marsh Pride lions in for lions or hyenas suspected of depredation. species is vital to Africa's ecology, flying the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a group “The vulture problem is not really a vulture long distances to eat made famous by the BBC television series Big problem but a predator problem,” says Munir carrion and keep Cat Diary, were poisoned after purportedly Virani, Executive Vice President and Global ecosystems healthy. attacking livestock. Along with two lions, six Director of Conservation Strategy at The This species will White-backed vultures were killed. Peregrine Fund. His organisation is at the spend much of its These are only two examples of high-profile forefront of vulture conservation in Kenya, time soaring through vulture fatalities. Populations are plummeting through a rapid response programme and the skies at great altitudes searching across Africa, by 90 per cent in some countries. community interventions. for food, sometimes In South Africa, West Africa, and parts of It followed years of research and was staying in the air for Tanzania, vultures are hunted for their body spurred partly by the collapse of critically six to seven hours parts, which are used for traditional medicine. endangered vultures in south Asia. The each day.

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In 2016, the Peregrine Fund and partners conducted a poisoning intervention course in the Maasai Mara with various predator conservation groups.

Peregrine Fund and its associate partners - Nature Kenya and Birdlife Africa Secretariat, the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust and the Mara Raptor Project - realised that it was time for transformative action. In 2016, the Peregrine Fund and partners conducted a poisoning intervention course in the Maasai Mara with various predator conservation groups. “If a lion is dead, the problem doesn’t end there. We needed to Emergency treatment is administered figure out how to get rid of the contaminated on the spot to any live vultures. “You can TOP Rüppell's vultures on lion to prevent a domino effect,” said Kenya- massage the crop and try to get the meat out,” an elephant carcas. born Virani, who served on the Swara explained Ralph Buij, the Africa Program As scavengers, editorial board. Research Director at The Peregrine Fund. Rüppell's vultures The course was taught in communities “Atropine [a medication given by injection] have the added through local languages. In 2017, the is a good way to kickstart a bird if it’s fully adaptation of being Peregrine Fund Kenya recruited five Kenyan down,” he added. able to consume biologists as Vulture Liaison Officers (VLOs). Poisons used to kill carnivores are mostly rotten meat. They have become the first responders in agro-pesticides or rodenticides. They are RIGHT reported vulture emergencies and champion easy to obtain, fairly cheap but highly toxic to Munir Virani directs the conservation message. lions and other animals. The toxins remain the Africa and South Once a report reaches them, the VLOs in the grass and can seep into waterways to Asia programs for quickly mobilise and travel to the scene affect people, which is why the VLOs must The Peregrine Fund, together with the Kenya Wildlife Service efficiently destroy the remains of vultures a US conservation and any other dead animals at the scene. The organisation (KWS) officers. The tell-tale signs they look dedicated to for include a limping walk, a vulture dropping carcass is placed on a pile of wood and burned conserving birds of on its side, dead flies around the mouth or to ashes. “Burying them doesn’t help because prey worldwide. specific pointers of rigor mortis. they will simply get dug up,” said Buij.

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Depending on the level of ingestion, by conservationists about prosecuting people vultures can recover from poisoning. Sick because it could lead to more revenge killings. ones are taken for further treatment to a The organisation’s approach is to “work with rescue centre in the Mara or the Kenya Bird of adversaries until it becomes ingrained in their Prey Trust at the Kilimandege Sanctuary near culture about protecting vultures.” Lake Naivasha, about 100km west of Nairobi. Vultures were traditionally revered in It can take up to three months to nurse a Maasai culture and, according to Ole Reson, vulture back to full health. “We release them people were attached to different species. into the same area or in other vulture range The endangered Lappet-faced Vulture was areas,” said wildlife biologist Eric ole Reson admired for its size and feisty nature. Young who heads the vulture liaison team. warriors made head masks of their feathers to At the core of poisoning is human-carnivore wear at dances and celebrations. “Somebody conflict, which happens when pastoralists lose with a Lappet-faced mask is almost in the livestock and retaliate with poisons. “When same rank as someone with a lion’s mane,” TOP we are able to manage human-wildlife conflict said Ole Reson. Vultures are more then we have managed 80 per cent of vulture Much of this traditional wildlife knowledge often collateral problems,” said Ole Reson. is disappearing, which is why the VLO teach damage in battles Born and raised in the Maasai Mara, he about the hazards of poisoning and the between humans and fully understands the anguish felt by cattle value of vultures in the ecosystem. There is predators. Herders who lose livestock owners and their antagonism towards a consensus amongst scientists that vultures to lions, hyenas, and predators. Conducting his PhD research on help to clean up the environment by rapidly other carnivores will drivers of poisoning to African White-backed consuming carrion and preventing the spread sometimes sprinkle Vultures of southern Kenya, two years ago he of infectious diseases. toxic pesticides interviewed people in the Mara who admitted Ole Reson is confident that community over the felled to using pesticides to kill problem wildlife. intervention is averting unnecessary deaths animals’ carcasses in The Wildlife Act of Kenya (2013) has and changing mindsets. “Now there are retaliation. The poison kills the predator, stiff penalties for causing harm to or minimal cases that go unnoticed because but it also kills the killing wildlife but there has never been a somebody will always call us. Our numbers vultures who swoop successful prosecution of any poisoning have become like hotlines,” he said. “We also in to eat the poisoned cases. Virani acknowledges mixed feelings try to build in the old stories so that people animals.

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Rüppell’s Vultures from Hell’s Gate National Park and the Lake Magadi areas in Kenya fly every day to the Maasai Mara, a distance of over 200km.

can relate back and draw lessons from what Whilst this may be a good sign of used to happen.” conservation efforts in southern Kenya, a lot Mitigating human-wildlife conflict could more work is needed across the border in be as simple as community wildlife scouts to northern Tanzania where poisoning cases go rounding up stray cattle and corralling them unreported. Furthermore, the small team of in a safe area until the owners can collect vulture liaison officers cannot cover the vast them. On visits to homesteads, the liaison area traversed by vultures. officers examine the bomas (cattle enclosures) Rüppell’s vultures from Hell’s Gate National to assess their sturdiness against predators. Park and the Lake Magadi areas in Kenya Reinforced bomas can be effective deterrents fly every day to the Maasai Mara, a distance with measures, said Buij “like making the of over 200km. “They go to Hell’s Gate or doors solid enough, ensuring there are no Kwenia to nest but in the Mara, there is plenty holes or by digging in the fence.” of forage,” said Ole Reson. Virani has seen a change in Mara landscape The Peregrine Fund has recorded tagged since he first started research work there in white-backed vultures moving between 2003. Driving around the ecosystem these southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. days the team sees more vultures and, noted “Some criss-cross all the way to Ethiopia, Virani, “nesting vultures have increased from South Sudan, come through Uganda and come TOP 2016 to 2018.” back to the Mara,” Ole Reson added. Vulture poisoning Ten years ago, in collaboration with “Because we can’t be everywhere all the in Africa can be Corinne Kendall of Princeton University, 5 of time we have to focus on the hotspots as our separated into two categories. In 16 vultures tagged with research GPS-GSM key areas to prevent poisoning and work southern Africa transmitters died of poisoning in less than a with these communities,” said Buij. He is mainly, poachers will year. developing a GPS tracker that can notify them lace dead elephants Since 2017, Virani and his team have tagged in real-time when a vulture is poisoned, based and rhinos with 20 birds with transmitters and only three on abnormal behaviours that suggest toxin poison to intentionally have died of poisoning. “Although the sample ingestion. kill vultures that might tip off park size is small, they are flying longer, their In the field, the liaison officers depend on rangers to their illicit survival rate is significantly greater than what local scouts and community informers to activities. we saw 10 years ago.” spread the conservation message and sound

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the alarm when poisoning is suspected. to protect lions in the Tsavo and Amboseli TOP Collaboration with predator conservationists National Parks. “Where you have lions, you Martin Odino, Project in the Mara, such as the Mara Predator have got vultures because vultures come and Manager at The Peregrine Fund and Program, provides an opportunity to integrate clean up,” explained Ole Reson. an ornithologist keen vulture conservation into the work of Although vultures are not yet out of the on raptors holding an partners. woods, Virani expresses cautious optimism. immature Rüppell's In recent weeks, social restrictions due to “Vultures are slowly, steadily coming back and vulture. the COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact it has to do with the conservation efforts of a on the fieldwork. Community meetings, which lot of organisations working together.” involve large gatherings, are suspended. VLOs are still responding to emergency To learn more about African vultures visit: call outs, however, according to Ole Reson, peregrinefund.org/projects/african- “We have not had a lot of incidences now, vultures possibly because nobody is moving a lot.” That raises the concern that vulture incidents went unnoticed in areas without scouts or KARI MUTU is an independent informers. writer for various newspapers and magazines. The Peregrine Fund does not take all the credit for vulture recovery. They recognise the achievements of other agencies like Big Life Foundation and Lion Guardians working

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