Vultures are in trouble. My colleague Lizzie Bruce explains what the problem is and what she's doing to help
Do you remember the BBC series Dynasties? Do you remember watching the young lion and its aunt die from eating a poisoned carcass? I do. I cried. I wanted to do something about it.
The lions filmed were from Kenya. Poisoned carcasses left out by local farmers to protect their grazing animals. Yet these poisoned carcasses kill anything that eats them. It is indiscriminate killing. Because of this, vultures have declined by 98% in Africa and some are now Critically Endangered.
That’s why I am flying to Israel at the end of March to take part in a 24-hour bird race
Nature’s clean-up crew
Hooded Vulture (MarnixR; wikipedia.com)
Vultures play a vital part in the ecosystem. They soar high in the sky on the lookout for carcasses. They can spot them over a 1km away. Within an hour of finding one there is nothing left. They have stripped it. Because of this they also bring many health benefits to the local people. They stop the spread of anthrax, botulism, tuberculosis and rabies.
In India, when the vulture population crashed, the feral dog population soared, attacking people and spreading disease. It cost the Indian government an extra $1.5billion in healthcare.
Champions of the Flyway – a bird race with a difference
Since the first Champions of the Flyway in 2014, over $350,000 has been raised to help BirdLife partners stop the illegal killing of birds along the Mediterranean.
The bird race - organised by Israeli BirdLife Partner SPNI - takes place around Eilat, a migration hot spot for millions of birds heading north to their breeding grounds. The race is more than which team can see the most species in 24 hours but importantly it is about raising money and awareness. Birders and conservationists come from across the world to join together, to celebrate the wonder of bird migration.
Find out more about the previous projects which have benefitted.
This year all money raised will be heading to BirdLife partner Nature Kenya to save the vultures from extinction. The money will help develop a Rapid Response team to be deployed to a carcass and ensure it is not contaminated. They will then clean it up if it is. Secondly the projects aims to work with the local community to develop education programmes.
It has been done before
Populations of vultures declined by 99% in India, Pakistan and Nepal almost overnight. The cause, the use of veterinary diclofenac administered to cattle. The vultures were eating the dead carcasses. RSPB along with fellow BirdLife partners joined together to launch Saving Asian Vultures from Extinction (SAVE). Years of campaigning lead to the ban of diclofenac and the creation of vulture safe heavens. There is more to be done but we are starting to win the fight to save Asian vultures.
Carbon footprint v ecotourism
And before you ask, yes, I have thought long and hard about the carbon footprint that this all will entail. I must admit there is no easy answer. Does the carbon outweigh the value of ecotourism or vice versa?
I do I feel that by taking part, explaining why I am going and promoting the plight of Africa’s vultures that I’m doing more good than bad but am aware that others will have differing opinions. And I’m OK with that.
But to mitigate some of the effect, I’m planning to purchase carbon credits as a way of paying for my own carbon footprint and in particular for the RSPB’s Gola Project in Sierra Leone and Liberia, available through Stand for Trees.
How you can help
If you would like to help save vultures and ensure the survival of the Nature’s clean up crew please donate today, donations start from as little as £1.
For more information www.champions-of-the-flyway.com
Team Swallowtail: www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/teamswallowtail
Fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/championsoftheflyway-teamswallowtail
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Glad to hear you've thought about the carbon footprint.