Overview

• SANParks confirmed this as the largest vulture poisoning event ever recorded in southern Africa, with over 200 birds impacted.
• The poisoned vultures include White-backed, Cape, Lappet-faced, and Hooded vultures, all classified as threatened or endangered by the IUCN.
• Conservationists launched an emergency operation, rescuing 84 poisoned vultures and transporting them to treatment facilities by helicopter and ground transport.
• The elephant carcass was deliberately contaminated with highly toxic agrochemical pesticides, a tactic increasingly used by poachers to conceal illegal wildlife killings.
• Authorities are investigating the source of the pesticides, as the incident underscores the growing threat of agrochemical use in wildlife crime.