At the Trust, we are fortunate to have many volunteers that work on a variety of different projects and tasks. One of our volunteers in the conservation and research team, Heather Howes, has been working on a project that measures how variations in small mammal populations affect breeding raptors.
New restrictions on toxic veterinary drugs in Pakistan
Vulture populations in South Asia have collapsed by over 95% since the mid-1990s. The primary cause of this catastrophic decline and an ongoing threat is the ingestion by vultures of livestock carcasses containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), principally diclofenac. Although diclofenac was banned from veterinary use in Pakistan, India and Nepal in 2006, other NSAIDs such as aceclofenac and ketoprofen still pose a major threat to critically endangered vultures.
We have now expanded our project in Pakistan to include research and conservation of the Red-headed and Egyptian Vultures, in addition to the Asian White-backed and Long-billed Vultures that we already work with.
The shocking news about the intentional and targeted poisoning of an elephant carcass that affected 121 Critically Endangered vultures on 25 February 2018 in southern Mozambique is distressing but not surprising. These incidents are becoming more frequent. The impact of this event is devastating, however it is important to realise that without a quick response the mortalities would have been much greater.
Of the 121 affected vultures, 18 were recovered poisoned but still alive and these are all undergoing treatment. The rapid action taken by the poison response team neutralised the poisoned carcass and prevented many of the hundreds of vultures seen in the area plus other scavenging animals from a death via poisoning. Research by the Hawk Conservancy Trust’s Head of Conservation and Research, Dr Campbell Murn, has demonstrated that a quick response by poison response teams will significantly reduce deaths and minimise the loss of wildlife and contamination of the environment.
The killing of wildlife by poisoning is very difficult to prevent, but a fast response to poisoning events limits their impact. Working in partnership, the Hawk Conservancy Trust, the University of Reading and the Endangered Wildlife Trust deliver a training programme on the effective neutralisation of poisoning events and also provide poison response kits to field personnel in southern Africa.
A lot more poison response training is required, and we have identified key areas and poisoning hotspots where urgent work is needed to enable stakeholders in these areas to adequately plan for and manage incidents when they occur.
Vultures are in severe decline and the situation is now critical. Africa is fast losing its vultures, and with them the important and highly efficient ecosystem services they provide. Without scavengers, carcasses are left to rot and potential for disease increases for both humans and wildlife.
It cannot be overlooked that the most significant underlying issue is illegal elephant poaching, and as long as there is elephant poaching, vultures are at risk. However, elephants already have a huge support network, which is having a positive impact on elephant conservation.
Vultures cannot wait for the underlying issue to be resolved. Immediate action is needed and we are here to help vultures because without effective intervention when poisoning occurs, they will become extinct. Our ability to supply the training and kits needed across this region is limited by our resources and so we are asking for your support to expand these vital skills and equipment into the key areas where we can play our part together in preventing the extinction of these vital birds.
We are recruiting part-time unpaid Field Volunteers to continue an existing project with the Hawk Conservancy Trust. The project is a study of the biodiversity at different sites. We are looking for volunteers with experience in small mammal trapping and small mammal identification skills. Experience with other surveying techniques such as bird point counts, invertebrate pitfall trapping and vegetation transects would be excellent! The fieldwork is flexible however you would need to provide a minimum of one trapping session per week commitment on an ongoing basis, and have a full driving licence with access to your own transport as you would need to travel to field sites independently for surveys. If you think you might be who we are looking for, please fill out the online application below. Please provide as much detail as possible about your previous surveying experience; a full CV is not necessary.
The work of the Field Volunteers will continue a project started by Conservation and Research Intern, Abbie Maiden. Watch this video from Abbie to find out more about what this work involves:
If you are successful, you will be asked for a contribution (£10.00) towards a Disclosure and Barring Service (previously CRB) check. Once this check has been carried out, we will be thrilled to welcome you into our team as one of our valued volunteers.
Start date: Spring 2018
Terms: Ongoing, Unpaid Voluntary, one trapping session per week minimum
Location: Hawk Conservancy Trust, Andover and field sites within 10km
The ideal volunteer would have:
To register your interest in volunteering with us, please fill in the below form and we will be in touch in due course.
The Trust undertakes a number of UK-based research projects aimed at monitoring the status of a number of UK raptor species. Although the majority of this work is performed by members of our Conservation and Research Department, there are a number of other aspects to these projects we are unable to perform due to lack of manpower. To get around this problem, we have identified ways in which you can help.
We are saddened and frustrated to report that another poisoning attack has taken place in southern Africa. 94 White-backed Vultures were poisoned after feeding from a poached elephant carcass that had been laced with poison. One vulture is currently being treated. At the moment, we do not have any more details but will add anything we find out when possible.
Please help us to keep our poison response activity going to help reduce the loss of these endangered birds from poisoning by supporting our work.
Africa’s vultures are facing many threats – the most significant being poisoning and the trade in vultures for witchcraft and fetish. But we are at the forefront of saving thousands of vultures from an unnecessary death. With project partners, we have developed specialist Poison Response Kits for urgent implementation in-situ to save these birds that are so vital to the food chain and eco-system in the region. Already they are making inroads into slowing down the loss of endangered vulture populations.
A study published in December 2015 (the most recent and only data) revealed that since 2012, ivory poachers have increasingly killed elephants and laced the carcasses with poison deliberately to kill vultures, because the circling of vultures above an illegally poached carcass signals the poachers’ presence to rangers in the field. This is the latest threat to face the vulture population in Africa and it has increased rapidly with the ongoing slaughter of elephants and rhinos.
Poisoning associated with ivory poaching now accounts for one-third of all vulture poisonings since 1970 and is currently the biggest cause of vulture mortality. Further research published in 2017 highlights that, unchecked, this threat could lead to the extinction of some vulture populations within 60 years.
The Poison Response Kits (PRK) are explained by our Head of Conservation and Research, Campbell Murn, who has been conducting research on vultures in Africa for the last 17 years. “These kits contain a range of equipment and first aid materials that are designed to reduce the impact of poisoned carcasses on wildlife. When a poisoning incident is detected, a response team is deployed with a PRK to the site. The team works to secure and decontaminate the site and minimise the existing and potential damage caused by the poison. This essential activity limits the negative impact on vulture populations, protects other vulnerable wildlife such as jackals, lions and hyenas and also reduces the wider environmental destruction caused by such an event.
“Often, poisons are so toxic that vultures can die with food still in their mouths. This means that work must take place as soon as possible to prevent further deaths.” With a quick response and the effective use of PRKs, hundreds of animals can be saved from death by poisoning.
We are aiming to raise the £35,000 needed for 100 Poison Response Kits for key areas in southern Africa. Each kit costs £300 and after a poisoning incident needs to be replenished at a cost of £180. Fundraising details on www.hawk-conservancy.org/prk
Not only will this go some way to reducing the environmental impact, these kits could also save the lives of thousands of vultures and other wildlife from unnecessary deaths. The impact on local communities of collapsing vulture populations will be severe and can already be seen in some places.
On Thursday 9 March a tiny, fluffy White-headed Vulture chick joined our team and we were ecstatic!
Following on from our five year long Raptor Nest Box Project exploring the effects of nest boxes on Kestrel populations, this spring we’ve launched a new project, Kestrel Count 2. (more…)
