Most of us involved in Kenyan wildlife conservation or wildlife guiding circles are aware of the plight the vultures have faced in Tsavo. The entire vulture population has been practically wiped out, mainly due to agricultural pesticide use and because of the prolific cattle herding inside the national park and adjoining private sanctuaries. So how does the herding of cattle kill vultures you ask? Well occasionally predators would kill and eat a stray cow or goat and consequently, the herders would vengefully poison the carcass to kill the predator. As vultures would also participate in clearing up the remains, thousands of vultures were ruthlessly killed as a secondary effect of poisoning.
So it was with such great excitement that for the first time in so many years, i got to see such a large committee of vultures in Tsavo East. Over two hundred strong, some were feeding on two buffalo carcasses left behind by lions, some were resting under the shade of an acacia tree while others were quenching their thirst at a waterhole only a few meters away.
Recent intervention by our Kenya Wildlife Service tsavo team to stop the cattle herding in parks is clearly yielding results, so let us hope and pray, that this recently spotted committee of vultures will be able to grow and prosper safely in a number of years time.
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| A rare and welcomed sight of endangered vultures in Tsavo East |
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| Vultures seen in a miraculous number resting and feeding in Tsavo East |
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| Some of the other vultures were at a waterhole a few meters away from the rest |
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