Vultures keep dying at an unprecedented rate across Africa. 

2020 is rapidly becoming a very dark year with regards to the poisoning of Africa's vultures. We are only at the start of the year, and in Zimbabwe and South Africa over 100 Endangered and Critically Endangered vultures were poisoned already.

Now, an unknown cause is rapidly killing vultures in Guinea-Bissau, with over 600 vulture mortalities in one week. 

Seven vulture species are on the brink of extinction in Africa, and such mass death incidents could pose a fatal blow to the conservation status of several species, at national and even regional level. 

A vulture conservation disaster: over 600 vultures dead across Guinea-Bissau with death toll continually increasing

Poisoning of animals is a vicious cycle, killing our precious vultures and other wildlife.

In the Balkans, it is the leading cause preventing the recovery of vultures in the region, and unfortunately, several poisoning incidents have already been identified this year. 

These include two cases in Greece and Croatia that had a severe effect on vultures and other wildlife. In Greece, the poisoning incident killed many Griffon Vultures, threatening the status of the largest colony of the species in mainland Greece. 

Recent wildlife poisoning in Croatia left many animal casualties 

Mass poisoning causes a heavy blow to the largest colony of Griffon Vultures in mainland Greece

The VCF is actively pursuing different lines of work to stop this damaging practice. With the Balkan Anti-Poisoning Project, we are bringing together wildlife conservation organisations, governmental agencies and other stakeholders in six Balkan countries to tackle illegal wildlife poisoning.