•  December 2000February 2001 Local News Headlines

Wednesday, February 21, 2001 - Web posted at 6:57:22 AM GMT

Vulture population on verge of extinction

THERE are only eight Cape Vultures left in Namibia.Use of the poison strychnine has wiped out much of the scavenger's population, an animal rights expert said in Windhoek yesterday."

In Namibia we have only eight Cape Vultures remaining.

Strychnine has caused their near extinction," Liz Komen, from the Namibia Animals Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (Narrec), said yesterday.

She was speaking at a press conference in Windhoek to announce the Art For The Earth 2001 competition.

Komen said the vultures died after eating the poisoned carcasses of wild animals left by farmers in an attempt to kill predators that attack their livestock.

In the 1960s there were five known colonies of Cape Vultures in Namibia.

Komen said in 1996 a single farmer killed 10 per cent of the Namibian lappet-faced vulture population after the birds fed on poisoned carcasses left in a bid to kill predators."

"This irresponsible poisoning is just incredible," said Komen.

It is not only scavengers which are dying from eating poisoned carcasses but also animals like aardwolfs, cape foxes and bat-eared foxes.

In Namibia, she said, 55 to 73 per cent of recorded deaths of scavenging raptors were caused by poison.

However, Komen said this figure may be well below the real figure as poisoned birds usually fly away and die far from the site where the poisoned carcass bait was laid out."

"Strychnine does not fit the criteria that are prescribed for safe poisons.

Strychnine is a completely inhumane way to kill animals," she said.

Komen said alternatives to using poison for predator control include the use of guard dogs, employing herders, keeping livestock near the homestead and to synchronise calving and lambing.

When the poison is used it accumulates in the soil and contaminates the land, she said.

"If exposed to a strychnine carcass, they die.

Strychnine does not break down or disappear, but passes through food chain.

For every jackal or target animal poisoned by strychnine 100 to 300 non-target animals die," she said.

* The School Art For The Earth Environmental Art Competition aims to promote an awareness of local and worldwide environmental issues and concerns among learners and teachers, through using medium of visual art.

Close to 1 500 schools will take part in the competition, which is being held under the theme: 'Poisons, Pesticides and Pollution'.

NamPower is the main sponsor of the competition.

Other sponsors are Namibia Breweries, Namibia Nature Foundation, Ibis (Wus-Denmark), the Ministry of Basic Education, NamPost and the National Art Gallery of Namibia.

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