Durban — Africa’s largest vulture relocation project got off to a flying start this week when 160 Cape and African white-backed vultures were moved from Vulpro in the North West to their new home at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape.
The birds were loaded into special transport crates and placed in two interlinked DHL trucks before undertaking the 18-hour, 1 042km journey.
The relocation was part of a two-year project to establish a breeding facility at Shamwari for sick or injured vultures which were non-releasable but have been rehabilitated and are able to breed.
WeWild Africa, an NGO specialising in animal rewilding and translocation, played a major role in the relocation project. The organisation’s director, Derek Milburn, said they were contacted by VulPro to move the vultures to the Eastern Cape. They provided the special crates and facilitated the entire translocation, including catching and loading the vultures, which took about 50 volunteers two hours.
He said one of the aims of the relocation was to supplement the vulture population in the Eastern Cape.
“We didn’t lose or injure a single bird; they travelled exceptionally well; they are very robust and resilient. I think one or two of the team had a nip on their fingers when they were loading the crates. The birds have quite a nasty bite on them and while you are loading the crate, you forget and put your fingers close to the hole – and all of a sudden you get a bit of a nip,” said Milburn.
VulPro CEO Kerri Wolter said the bespoke breeding facility at Shamwari would give vulture conservation efforts in the region a major boost.
“VulPro at Shamwari offers a safe, well-balanced ecosystem for both our in-situ and ex-situ conservation programmes and provides financial support and sustainability. Importantly, it limits risk because the largest captive breeding population of vultures isn’t concentrated in one location. In addition, Shamwari’s anti-poaching unit provides good security,” said Wolter.
Later this year, in the second phase of the project, non-releasable lappet-faced, white-headed and hooded and a few more white-backed vultures will be relocated.
VulPro said the offspring from the other species would be transported back to VulPro’s Hartebeespoort facility and from there, they would be sent to release sites identified by the National Vulture Breeding Steering Committee.
Independent on Saturday