The Vulture Multi-species Action
Plan (Vulture MsAP), approved recently in the conference of the parties of the
Convention for Migratory Species - a global strategic blueprint identifying priorities
and actions to conserve 15 species of old world vultures – says it clearly:
(illegal) poison with poisoned baits (often against predators of livestock) is
the main threat to vultures worldwide.
The VCF is particularly active in
fighting this threat and is implementing a number of projects across Europe
including many actions against poisoning. We have also reported several times
the dramatic episodes of poisoning affecting African vultures, in what is
already known as the African vulture crisis, leading to several species being
considered critically endangered. But the illegal use of poison occurs
elsewhere too – as a tragic occurrence in Argentina shows.
At least 34 Andean condors (20
males and 14 females, and almost all adult birds) were found dead, apparently
by poisoning, in a locality south of Mendoza. Andean condors (Vultur gryphus)
are very large new world scavengers, that occur all along the Andean chain,
from Venezuela to the Tierra del Fuego. With only about 6700 individuals left
in the world, the species is facing rapid and steady population declines across
its range, so this incident is significant and dealt a blow to the populations
of the species in Argentina – in fact, it is the incident with the most massive
mortality of Andean condors ever registered!
