130+ vultures poisoned in South Africa’s largest national park
More than 130 vultures have been poisoned in recent weeks on the territory of South Africa's largest and oldest nature reserve, TASS reports with reference to The South African newspaper
Hannah Shameema Winkler, a member of the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Committee at the Parliament of South Africa, said that the total number of vultures killed in the Kruger National Park had reached two thousand over the past five years. According to her, the situation is extremely worrying, since birds ‘play a vital ecological role, particularly in disease control and carcass decomposition, and their diminishing numbers pose a serious threat to ecological health and balance’.
It is noted that poachers cover the carcasses of dead animals with poison so that vultures feeding on carrion do not attract the attention of rangers. In addition, rhinoceroses and elephants have their horns and tusks cut off by poachers, who also try to leave such crime scenes as fast as possible. Violators are sentenced to 30 years in prison in South Africa for killing a rhinoceros or an elephant.
