Vulture Awareness Day

The International Vulture Awareness Day to be held on September 3 this year is jointly organised by the Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England. This day is set aside to publicise the conservation of vultures to a wider audience and highlight the important work being carried out by vulture conservationists. In Botswana, the Mannyelanong Game Reserve was established to protect the Cape Vulture colony living there. In Setswana, mannyelanong means "where vultures make their droppings and these birds are fully protected under the laws of Botswana. Cape vultures have nested in this area for hundreds of years but in the last 40 years or so, their numbers have diminished considerably and in the late 1960s. The current Cape vulture population in Botswana is approximately 600 birds, with the global population estimated at 8 000.