Mass vulture rescue in Kruger National Park: 84 saved from poisoning

A total of 84 vultures have been rescued from poisoning in the Kruger National Park. In this incident described as one of the largest seen in the park, 123 vultures died due to the poisoning.

This world-class wildlife rescue operation was performed by a joint team of the South African National Parks (SANParks) rangers and Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) officials.

In a joint statement on Thursday, 8 May, SANParks and EWT said the incident in the Mahlangeni Section of the park was detected by the EWT’s pioneering wildlife poisoning surveillance and detection system. It triggered an alert at 06:05 on 6 May, flagging suspicious activity in a remote section of the park.

Within a few hours, the joint team mobilised, arriving on site by 08:20. There they discovered the mass poisoning event involving hundreds of vultures. On the scene, an elephant carcass laced with highly toxic agrochemical pesticides was found. The poison was laid by poachers to harvest body parts for the illegal wildlife trade.

The initial responders were six SANParks rangers and two EWT officials. They found two vultures alive, but severely affected, roughly 500 m from the poisoned elephant carcass. These were immediately treated using emergency vulture first aid: atropine, activated charcoal, and fluid therapy.

Reinforcements were swiftly deployed. Support teams of the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Briner Veterinary Services and Wildscapes Veterinary Services mobilised within hours. In the meantime, SANParks activated ranger and aerial support. This include the Hope for Wildlife helicopter and additional logistics support. This was the first time SANParks helicopters were formally used in a wildlife poisoning rescue of this scale.

High-intensity rescue effort

• 84 vultures – including White-backed, Cape, and Hooded vultures – were rescued.
• 45 were transported by the EWT’s vulture ambulance, a specialised mobile unit designed to stabilise poisoned birds en route to treatment facilities.
• 39 more were airlifted by helicopter to the SANParks K9 facility in Phalaborwa for immediate monitoring.
• A final group was transported that night to Moholoholo for continued intensive care.
• Teams include vets from WildScapes and Briner Veterinary Services, as well as the Moholoholo team, worked through the night to stabilise each bird and keep them alive.
• Despite the best efforts, five of these vultures succumbed to poisoning. However, a remarkable 96% survival rate was achieved among those found alive. On the morning of 8 May, 83 vultures are still alive and recovering.

National wildlife tragedy

The scale of the tragedy is staggering, the statement read: 123 died due to the poisoning. These include 102 White-backed vultures, 20 Cape vultures, and one Lappet-faced vulture, all listed as endangered or critically endangered species. Of these, 116 were already deceased when the team arrived.

This marks one of the largest vulture poisoning events in Southern Africa. It was also the most extensive coordinated response effort and rescues to date. Over 20 individuals across conservation, veterinary, and enforcement sectors played a role in the rescue and response.

Without rapid detection by the EWT’s wildlife poisoning detection and surveillance system, and the unprecedented cooperation between NGOs, rangers, vets, and SANParks aerial and ranger units, many more birds would have been lost.

Growing threat of poison poaching

This incident is part of a broader crisis unfolding across Southern Africa: The escalating use of poisons in wildlife poaching. Poachers increasingly use agricultural toxins to target high-value species – not just vultures, but also lions, whose body parts are in growing demand for traditional medicine or muthi.

This incident is a setback to the vulture population in the Greater Kruger landscape
which is trying to recover from similar incidents in the past. SANParks is collaborating with various agencies and institutions to address the current increase in particularly poisoning incidents.

The latest operation highlights the importance of partnerships in addressing this problem. The recovery and treatment of the live vultures would not have been possible if such partnerships were not in place.

“We commend every individual who responded to this tragedy. Their courage, skill, and relentless commitment transformed a potential extinction-level event into one of the most successful vulture rescues ever recorded,” the statement concluded.