Working together to conserve vultures in Botswana

In this article, Peter Hancock from Birdlife Botswana maintains that the seven vulture species found in Botswana are under serious threat from poisoning. Recent incidents of this poisoning have been reported in place like Lesoma, Gumare, Tonota and Gweta-to name just a few places. In some cases, according to the author, the birds are being poisoned unintentionally when livestock farmers unlawfully put poison into the carcase of an animal killed by a problem predator. By doing so, the farmers hope to kill the predator but instead annihilate large numbers of vultures who arrive at the poisoned carcase long before the predators. In other instances, poachers of wildlife deliberately target vultures with poison because of their ability to detect any wild animals. Lastly, some also try to poison vultures for traditional medicine. In conclusion, the author concludes says that vultures not only do vultures have an important role in the ecosystem (, in that they clean up carcases of dead animals and thereby limit the spread of diseases), but they are an integral part of the the Tswana culture and tradition.