Minister Dion George has said that the collapse of scavenger species could have ‘devastating’ consequences
South Africa’s government has sounded the alarm over a sharp decline in vulture populations, saying continued losses could have serious environmental impacts.
Delivering remarks on Monday, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George stated that two mass poisoning incidents in 2025 alone had killed hundreds of vultures.
At least 123 vultures died after feeding on a poisoned elephant carcass in South Africa’s Kruger National Park in May. Wildlife rangers were able to rescue and treat about 83 of the surviving birds.
A separate mass poisoning occurred in the nearby Lionspruit Game Reserve in Mpumalanga, in which over 100 more vultures were killed.
“If these events continue unchecked, the loss of thousands of vultures could have devastating environmental and public health consequences,” the minister warned.
He urged South Africans to take an active role in protecting the birds, warning that several species could face extinction without coordinated action.
A 2025 BirdLife International report estimates the economic value of vultures to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region at $1.8 billion a year. The report identifies poisoning as the leading cause of vulture deaths across Africa (61%), followed by belief-based use (29%) and electrocution from energy infrastructure (9%).
South Africa’s foremost vulture conservation organization, Vulpro, recorded at least 191 incidents between 2020 and 2025 linked to powerlines.
In Southern Africa, secondary poisoning from contaminated carcasses and killings for traditional use remain severe threats, with one mass poisoning in Botswana in 2019 killing more than 500 critically endangered vultures, the report claimed.
In 2024, South Africa adopted a Multi-species Biodiversity Management Plan for seven vulture species, aiming to coordinate national conservation efforts through 2033.
However, twenty vulture chicks have hatched at South Africa’s Shamwari Private Game Reserve this breeding season, IOL reported in August. The milestone comes a year after the conservation group VulPro relocated 160 of the birds from Hartebeespoort to new enclosures at Shamwari.
