123 vultures killed in Kruger Park

MASS POISONING

- WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

MORE than 100 vultures have died in a mass poisoning in the Kruger National Park, one of the largest such incidents recorded in Southern Africa.

The discovery was made on Thursday in the Mahlangeni section of the park, after the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) poisoning detection system triggered an alert at 6.05am, flagging suspicious activity in a remote area. A joint SANParks and EWT team was mobilised and arrived at the scene about two hours later.

Eleanor Momberg, EWT communications manager, said it was one of the largest poisonings seen at the park.

“They discovered the grim reality; a mass poisoning involving hundreds of vultures, the result of an elephant carcass laced with highly toxic agro-chemical pesticides — poison laid by poachers to harvest body parts for the illegal wildlife trade.”