Conservationists have confirmed another devastating mass vulture poisoning incident, this time at the Lionspruit Game Reserve near Marloth Park in Mpumalanga, resulting in the deaths of over 100 vultures.
The incident has sparked outrage and concern among wildlife groups, who warn it poses a serious threat to South Africa’s critically endangered vulture populations.
It comes a few weeks after a mass vulture poisoning incident in the Mahlangeni Section of Kruger National Park, which left 123 birds dead.
ALSO READ: Kruger National Park: Mass Vulture Poisoning Sparks Largest-Ever Rescue
The majority of the dead birds in the Lionspruit incident were White-backed vultures — 92 in total — with around 90% identified as breeding adults.
Also found were nine Hooded vultures and a male White-headed vulture. None of the birds survived, and no body parts were removed, suggesting the motive was not related to traditional medicine practices.
The mass poisoning was discovered through real-time GPS tracking of rehabilitated vultures previously released by Vulpro, a leading African vulture conservation organisation, and Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, based in Hectorspruit.
Upon detecting unusual movement patterns from the birds, Vulpro alerted Wild and Free, which in turn notified local field rangers. A rapid response team was dispatched and uncovered a grim scene: dozens of vulture carcasses surrounding a poisoned warthog.
Two additional carcasses were spotted from the air with assistance from SANParks, confirming the scale of the incident.
“This is an ecological crisis,” said Kerri Wolter, CEO of Vulpro. “The scale of this poisoning is devastating. To lose this number of vultures — particularly adult breeding birds during the breeding season — is terrifying. We fear this is part of a larger, coordinated operation targeting vultures across the Lowveld.”
Wolter emphasized that the absence of body part removal indicates the poisoning is not linked to traditional beliefs involving vulture body parts, often used in muthi. Instead, conservationists suspect the attack may be part of a broader campaign intended to distract or disrupt conservation efforts.
Toxicology samples have been collected by Dr. Gerhard Verdoorn, director of the Griffon Poison Information Centre, alongside Dr. Peet Venter. These will be analyzed to identify the poison used and assist with any future legal proceedings.
“This deliberate act has undone years of conservation work and poses a dire threat to ecosystem stability,” Wolter said. “We’re calling on government authorities and the national vulture poisoning working group to urgently investigate and take decisive action.”
In response to the incident, Vulpro has issued an appeal to wildlife rehabilitation centres in the Lowveld to halt vulture releases until the risks have been fully assessed and addressed.
The tragedy comes just days after Vulpro and Wild and Free formalized a partnership to create an emergency response unit in Mpumalanga.
Supported by WeWild Africa and Over and Above Africa, the initiative aims to unify conservation strategies across provinces to protect South Africa’s dwindling vulture populations.
“This isn’t just about one horrific event,” said Wolter. “It’s about an ongoing, systemic threat to biodiversity. We’re fighting for every nest, every egg, and every future vulture. Science, integrity, and collaboration are our tools — and we will not give up.”
Authorities continue to investigate the incident, and teams remain on the ground decontaminating the site to prevent further harm to other wildlife.
