african action plan vulture safe · white-headed vultures are the only species within its genus, t...
TRANSCRIPT
AFRICANVULTURE
SAFE
TOOLKIT &ACTION PLAN2 0 1 9
CONTENTS03 SAVE OUR
SCAVENGERSCAMPAIGN
06 WHAT IS SAFE?
04 MEET THEVULTURES
07 VULTURETHREATS
15 SUPPORTVULTURES
09 ACTION PLANUPDATES
10 SOCIAL MEDIA
16 FUNDRAISE
17 VULTURE SAFEPROGRAMPARTNERS
Above & Cover Photo: T. Rubin, taken at VulPro
AFRICANVULTURESAFESAVE OUR SCAVENGERS
CAMPAIGN
F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N , V I S I T R A P T O R T A G . C O M / S A F E# V U L T U R E S A F E # S A V E O U R S C A V E N G E R S
PRIMARY THREATS TO AFRICAN VULTURES
Poisoning via poachers working to prevent rangers fromdetecting their illegal activities.
Poisoning via retaliatory killings targetingcarnivores for livestock losses.
Direct persecution for vulture body parts and trade.
Electrocutions and infrastructure strikes.
AFRICANVULTURE FACTS
VULTURES NEED OUR HELP
PEOPLE NEED VULTURES
Vultures are the most threatenedgroup of birds in the world, with16 of the 23 species facingextinction.
Africa’s vultures havedeclined by anaverage of 62%during the last 30years. In parts ofWestern Africa, somespecies havedeclined more than95%.
30% of vulture deaths inAfrica are from illegal wildlifetrade for use in traditionalmedicines.
The fate of vultures is directly tiedto that of keystone African species.Threats overlap heavily in particularwith African elephants and lions,which are targeted for poaching
and retaliation which result invulture poisoning incidents.
Vultures eat carcasses, removingdiseases like botulism, cholera,
rabies, anthrax, tuberculosis, andmore from ecosystems.
In India, where nearly 99%of vultures have died, there
are over 30,000 deathsannually from rabies
(associated with feral dogs),with estimated health costs
over USD$ 2.4 billion.
Become a vulture advocate!Teach others about vultures,host or attend an event orprogram.Talk about vultures- tell yourfriends, share posts online. Attend or host a habitat cleanupHost a SAFE fundraiser at yourlocal zoo or aquariumMake a donation to any of theSAFE field projects focusing onvulture conservation
OVERLAP WHY CARE
TAKEACTION
SAFE is an AZA initiative intended tocoordinate and focus the conservationefforts of AZA institutions on specific taxain order to increase conservation impact.African vultures were officially selected asa SAFE species in March 2018.
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
CAPE VULTURE
LAPPET-FACEDVULTURE
WHITE-BACKEDVULTURE
RUPPELL 'S GRIFFON VULTURE
HOODEDVULTURE
WHITE-HEADEDVULTURE
MEET THE VULTURES
EN
CR
CRCRCR
EN
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
CAPE VULTURE
LAPPET-FACED VULTURE
WHITE-BACKEDVULTURE
HOODED VULTURE RUPPELL 'S GRIFFONVULTURE
WHITE-HEADED VULTURE
ENDANGERED
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLYENDANGERED
CRITICALLYENDANGERED
CRITICALLYENDANGERED
CRITICALLYENDANGERED
GYPS COPROTHERES
TORGOS TRACHELIOTUS
GYPS AFRICANUSNECROSYRTES MONACHUS
GYPS RUEPPELLI
TRIGONOCEPS OCCIPITALIS
9,400 MATURE INDIVIDUALS
5,700 MATURE INDIVIDUALS
270,000 MATUREINDIVIDUALS
197,000 MATUREINDIVIDUALS
22,000 MATUREINDIVIDUALS*
90% INWESTAFRICA
83%DECLINE 97%
DECLINE
80%DECLINE
92%DECLINE
96%DECLINE
3,685 MATURE INDIVIDUALS
HEIGHT: 3 FT .WINGSPAN: 7 .2– 8 .5 FT .
HEIGHT: 3-3 .5 FT . WINGSPAN: 8 .5 FT .
HEIGHT: 2 .5—3.25 FT .WINGSPAN: 6-7 FT .
HEIGHT: 22-26 IN.WINGSPAN: 5 FT .
HEIGHT: 2 .75-3 FT .WINGSPAN: 8 FT .
HEIGHT: 2 .3– 2 .75 FT .WINGSPAN: 6 .75—7.8 FT .
Many spec ies of vu l tures , i nc lud ing Cape Vu l tures , mate for l i fe and ma les andfema les share in the incubat ion of the egg .
Possesses one of the strongest beaksof Afr ican vultures, so often feedfirst , with their wel l adapted beakfor tear ing sk in and tendons tootough for others.
White-backed vultures are highlysocial and will often gather inflocks of 100 or more. They willfeed in large groups at carcassesand can strip one clean in threeminutes!
Because they are smaller thanmany other vultures, they canget higher faster and are oftenthe first to spot a carcass.
Was once considered the mostcommon vulture in the NorthAfrica.
*by 1990s counts , l i ke ly much lower .
Wh i te-headed vu l tures are the on lyspec ies w i th in i t s genus ,Tr igonoceps .
Some cu l tures be l ieve that Cape Vu l tures have c la i rvoyant ab i l i t i es because ofhow qu ick ly they f ind an ima l carcasses .
Vu lPro , an AV SAFE par tner , breeds nonre leasab le Cape Vu l tures andre in t roduces the i r ch icks .
Photo cred i t : M ike Maxy, Los Ange les Zoo
Photo cred i t : Peter Frumoff , D i sney 's An ima l K ingdom
Photo cred i t : Kerry Lads , Trop ica l But ter f ly House Photo cred i t : Adam Thompson, Zoo At lanta Photo cred i t : Me l Ha l l , D i sney 's An ima l K ingdom
Photo cred i t : Anton Morr i son , taken at Vu lPro
The Denver Zoo is working hard inBotswana, focusing on community-based educat ion and poisoningresponse train ing, which helpsreduce poisoning incidents thatimpact Lappet-Faced Vultures.
VulPro helps to breed White-Backed Vultures and is doingresearch, education, and more inSouth Africa.
The North Carolina Zoo, an AVSAFE partner, helps with manyinitiatives in Tanzania.
Research by volunteers in Kenyaand East Africa by the PeregrineFund is helping to fill informationgaps.
Ka lahar i Research and Conservat ion i swork ing w i th the Denver Zoo toaddress knowledge gaps .
MEET THE VULTURES
EN
EN
CR CR CR
CR
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
WHAT IS SAFE?WHAT IS SAFE?
SAFE—or Saving Animals From Extinction—is anAZA initiative intended to coordinate and focus theconservation efforts of AZA institutions on specific
taxa in order to increase consevation impact.African vultures were officially selected as a SAFE
species in March 2018.
BOTSWANA
Denver Zoo, Kalahari Research and Conservation,and Raptors Botswana are working to address key
knowledge gaps, engage new communities, andtrain poison first-responders to save five
endangered and critically endangered species inBotswana. This project aligns with five strategic
objectives of the SAFE SMS Africa Vulture Plan andwill help realize the larger goal of securing viablevulture populations in Botswana through soundscience, honest community engagement, and
capacity building.
SOUTH AFRICA
VulPro’s work in South Africa involves instrumentalveterinary toxicological research, colony monitoring,and rehabilitation of injured vultures. Additionally,
VulPro breeds nonreleasable Cape Vultures,African Whitebacked Vultures, Lappet-faced
Vultures, and Whiteheaded Vultures as part of aconservation breeding and reintroduction programwhere all offspring are returned to the wild. Publiceducation is also a large aspect of VulPro’s work,
both to school groups and local communities as wellas visiting researchers looking to gain invaluable
field experience in areas such as capturing,tagging, monitoring and rescuing vultures.
TANZANIA
North Carolina Zoo’s work to date, in partnershipwith Wildlife Conservation Society, has included
population monitoring, ranger training in respondingto poisoning events, awareness raising, and satellitetagging of several vulture species. Together theseactivities have provided crucial information aboutvulture ecology and behavior in the region, helpedto reduce poisoning activities, and when poisoningdoes occur, has ensured rapid clean-up, evidencecollection, vulture rehabilitation, and the arrest of
perpetrators.
EAST/CENTRAL AFRICA (KENYA)
Researchers from the Peregrine Fund have focusedon answering key research questions to guide
conservation initiatives in Kenya and East Africa,and more recently have begun monitoring breedingcolonies to assess our conservation impact. Tagging
and tracking vulture movements by this team hashelped to identify key habitats and priority areas for
conservation efforts, as well as to highlight theirwide-ranging movements across East and Central
Africa, which previously were unknown.
WHO ARE THE FIELD PARTNERS?
The African Vulture SAFE Program has partnered with four field projects. Kenya: The Peregrine Fund, Tanzania:North Carolina Zoo & WCS, Botswana: Denver Zoo, Kalahari Research and Conservation, and Raptors Botswana,
South Africa: VulPro
WHO'S INVOLVED?
Dr. Corinne Kendall, the Curator of Conservationand Research at North Carolina Zoo, is heading up
the African Vulture SAFE program. To date, wehave 16 participating zoos and aquariums that are
all actively contributing to the program.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP VULTURES EX-SITU?
Part of African Vulture SAFE’s goals is to educate visitors of zoos, aquariums, nature centers,schools… or really anywhere, about how amazing African vultures are!
Five of the six SAFE species are also in Species Survival Plans, conservation breeding
programs in AZA Zoos. Future plans include breeding non-releasable Cape vultures in AZAfacilities and reintroducing chicks hatched under human care in conjunction with VulPro.
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
TOP THREATSFACING VULTURES
POISONING THROUGH POACHING
What is the problem? Poisoning is the most significantthreat currently impacting African vulture species. Vulturesfall victim to targeted poisoning for belief-based uses in thefetish and muti-trade as well as when targeted as sentinelsby poachers to prevent vultures from revealing the locationof illegal kills to park rangers. See Belief-based Threats &Bushmeat. Vultures also lead rangers to poached elephants and rhinosand, as a result, poachers are poisoning poached carcassesto also target sentinel vultures. With a sharp increase inivory and rhino poaching in recent years, these incidents areincreasing. Reducing poaching is therefore important forvulture conservation as well. Over 60% of annual vulturedeaths are a result from poisoning- whether as sentinels orby farmers. Combined with belief-based poaching, thesethree issues constitute 90% of annual vulture deaths.
What are SAFE partners doing to help? SAFE partners inKenya, Tanzania and Botswana are providing poisoningresponse training to rangers, which reduces mortality ateach incident. This training also results in faster site clean uptime to prevent secondary poisoning episodes and moreeffective evidence collection which leads to the arrest ofperpetrators. Local communities are also educated aboutthe dangers of wildlife poisoning and the importance ofvultures to encourage community-based vultureconservation efforts.
COLLISIONS WITH MAN-MADE STRUCTURES
What is the problem? Vulture mortality by electrocution onpower poles and injuries resulting from collisions with powerlines have become more prevalent in recent years as energydemand increases in Africa. Additionally, wind farms areincreasing in popularity across Africa and vulture collisionsand resulting mortality are an additional threat to vultures.Despite vultures’ acute vision, their field of view whileforaging can make them unaware of power lines and windturbines along their flight path. Electrocution on power polesoccurs when the bird is perching on poorly designed powerlines and uninsulated poles, while collisions with windturbines occur when vultures are soaring on wind thermalsthat cross wind farms. About 9% of annual vulture deathsare a result of infrastructure collisions.
POISONING BY FARMERS
What is the problem? Poisoning incidents can be brokendown into two different categories of poisoning:unintentional or secondary poisoning, where vultures are notthe intended target; and targeted poisoning, where vulturesare intentionally killed (see above). Unintentional poisoning occurs when vultures consumepoison bates set out to target predators that threatenlivestock or when vultures consume carcasses that havedied from poison. Retaliatory killings of carnivores inresponse to livestock predation often leads to poisoning withpesticide-laced carcasses. This is a major cause of mortalityfor large carnivores like lions as well as vultures and otherscavengers. Reducing human-carnivore conflict is criticalnot just for lion conservation but for vultures as well.
What are SAFE partners doing to help? SAFE partnersare using satellite telemetry on vultures to not only studytheir ranges but this data has also allowed them todetermine poisoning rates and hotspots, which affect bothvultures and carnivores. Partners in Tanzania, Botswanaand Kenya, like The Peregrine Fund’s Stop Poisoning Nowcampaign, are working with local communities to reducecarnivore conflicts and retaliation as well as raiseawareness about the illicit use of poisons. These effortsfocus on providing hands-on training about the dangers ofusing poisons, how this impacts vultures, and providingknowledge and resources for rapid poisoning responseteams.
What are SAFE partners doing to help? SAFE partners inSouth Africa, Kenya and Botswana are surveying high-riskpower lines and notifying local infrastructure companiesabout areas of concern. Collaboration with these companiesresults in power line mitigation to reduce vulture mortalitiesand injuries. SAFE partners are also working with thesecompanies to prevent construction of wind farms and powerlines in high use vulture habitats, based on natural historyand telemetry data being collected by field teams.
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
OTHER THREATS BELIEF-BASED THREATS & BUSHMEATWhat is the problem? Vultures are targeted for their body parts. Their meat isconsumed by people as a much-needed source of protein in some areas. Not only arethey consumed as bushmeat, but their body parts are illegally traded for traditionalbelief-based practices. Poaching of vultures for illegal trade usually involves baiting livestock and wildlifecarcasses with pesticides to poison vultures when they come to feed. Their bodyparts are harvested after death and sold at market for traditional medicines or asmeat. However, the poison ingested by the vultures are still present in the animalwhen consumed by humans, putting the people that consume these birds also at riskfor poisoning. Bushmeat poaching constitutes only about 1% of vulture deathsannually. 30% of vulture deaths annually occur when vultures are poached, similarly tobushmeat, with poison baits for belief-based practices, including "traditionalmedicine," voodoo, juju, muthi, witchcraft, and fetish markets. Vultures are known fortheir incredible eyesight, and many of their body parts are associated withclairvoyance and foresight and therefore coveted (especially the eyes), smoked toimprove luck (including more recent beliefs associated with national lotteries andsport betting practices) or intelligence (consuming their brains), or illegally traded(feathers, beaks, and other parts). Vultures are believed to have supernaturalpowers and personify insight and strength, and their body parts are used to eliminatebad spirits, for protection, to heal general weakness in the body, or to treat specificailments such as epilepsy, mental illness, or poor eyesight. While this threat is common throughout Africa, it is the leading cause of vulturedecline in West Africa. It is important to also note that there are vast differencesbetween regions and countries in the use of vulture body parts and also theregulation of their trade.
What conservation steps arehelping? Surveys of bushmeat andfetish markets across Africa keep tabson species present for sale. Studieshave shown reduction in bushmeat andtraditional trades occurs in correlationwith increased education and schooling.Some groups are specificallyresearching ways to combat illegalwildlife trade, particularly in WestAfrica. Projects studying vulture populationsand movement through tagging andtracking devices help to betterunderstand where vultures forage,where they may encounter man-madethreats, and where sensitive habitats,such as nesting colonies, are located.
What conservation steps are helping?Organizations like the SAFE partners are educatingcommunities not only about the benefits of vulturesbut on ecosystems and economic benefits of wildlife.Conservation groups and some governments areworking with communities to set aside protected landfor wildlife — in the form of conservancies, parks, andgame reserves. However, since vultures cannot beconfined to protected habitats and cross internationalborders, they have complex conservation needsrequiring targeted collaboration. The vulture Multi-species Action Plan (MsAP), under the Convention onthe Conservation of Migratory Species of WildAnimals (CMS), involves is implementing conservationplans at the flyway level across all 128 range statesfor all 15 species of migratory African-Eurasianvultures. This plan covers the geographic ranges ofall 15 species and promotes concerted, collaborativeand coordinated international actions towards therecovery of these populations to acceptable levels by2029. The Vulture MsAP can be found atRaptorTag.com/SAFE. Many groups also train scouts to increase tourism aswell as anti-poaching units to decrease poachingincidents and human-wildlife conflicts. Studying vulture movement ecology through taggingand tracking projects helps biologists andconservation groups know where to target protectionefforts.
HABITAT LOSS & FOOD SCARCITY
What is the problem? Habitat loss in Africa has many factors.Humans are expanding lands for agriculture, housing, or businesses.New infrastructure means power lines and energy production, whichpresent threats to flying vultures. Expansion of agriculture pushesungulate mammals out of vultures' territory and removes nesting androosting sites. Wildlife is increasingly confined to game reserves andparks, concentrating animals but also reducing their populations,therefore reducing food frequency and availability for vultures. Vultures aren't hunters. While some species may occasionally kill andeat small animals, vultures are the only known vertebrate that is anobligate scavenger. Most vultures rely almost exclusively on findingcarcasses for their food. Each species is a specialist, consumingdifferent parts of large and small carcasses to reduce competition.Some species will consume eggs, while others won't turn down an easymeal of fish, reptiles, crustaceans, or small mammals. Vultures rely on predators for their kills or for animals to die fromdisease, starvation, exposure, or any number of other natural causes.Vultures are responsible for consuming 70% of carcasses in Africa. Vultures cannot be confined to protected areas. As obligatescavengers, they must find carcasses to feed. This takes them far andwide in their search, both outside of conservation areas as well asacross international borders.
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
SAFE UPDATESSUMMARY OF ACTIVITY SINCE 2018
The SAFE African vulture program continues to “carrion” for vulture conservation. Soaring into the New Year, withthree AZA grants awarded for vulture work in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana – the program continues to makeincredible progress in all four-target countries, including South Africa. As part of the action plan to improve thepopulation status of all six target vulture species in at least 25% of their African distribution by 2020, the teamcontinues to assess critical populations in previously understudied areas. Research includes helicopter surveys of Ruppell’s vulture cliff nests in Northern Kenya, surveys across southernTanzania, including expansion of surveys into Selous Game Reserve, Cape vulture monitoring in South Africa andBotswana and roadside surveys to asses lappet-faced, white-headed, white-backed and hooded vultures insouthern Botswana. Telemetry studies continue to assess mortality rates with over 22 active tags on vultures acrossall study sites. Capacity building is ongoing; students continue to support field research in all four countries. Training to reducepoisoning continues with community groups and rangers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana. Efforts to mitigatecollisions with powerlines are underway in Kenya and South Africa. Rehabilitation and breeding efforts in SouthAfrica have continued with a total of 106 vultures rescued and 49 vultures successfully released, with VulProexperiencing their busiest year to date. Community engagement efforts have expanded, targeting new audiences in communities surrounding importantvulture areas in Botswana. Public engagement in both target countries and AZA institutions continues. The AfricanVulture SAFE Education Subcommittee has participated in coordinating annual African Vulture SAFE/Raptor TAGsummer newsletter and developed International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) toolkit, with both country partnersand AZA institutions.
FUNDINGSince the start of the Vulture SAFE program in 2018, $670,480 in dedicated funds have gone toward vultureconservation in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa. These funds have come from grants (including theAZA's Conservation Grant Fund program-$59,855 in three grants), fundraisers (annual SAFE Tshirt fundraiser) from16 organizations or awards.
ACTION PLAN UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS
Completed aerial surveys of all known Rüppell’s Vulture breeding cliffs in Kenya. Continued vulture roadsidesurveys in Tanzania in Ruaha and Katavi National Park, as well as Selous Game Reserve, in 2018 and 2019. Tagged5 vultures in Rukwa Game Reserve and 8 vultures in Selous Game Reserve from August 2018 to August 2019 as partof on-going movement study. Conducted breeding season surveys across 12 sites in South Africa and Botswana,including 6 Cape Vulture cliff colonies, 5 African white-backed vulture tree nesting sites, and one Hoodedvulture tree nesting site. Plans are in place to conduct 10,000km of roadside vulture surveys in southern Botswana(September – October 2019). Placed 2 satellite/GPS transmitters on white-backed vultures in Botswana to assessmortality, movement patterns and habitat use; plan on placing another 3 in October 2019. Continued lead testing ofvultures and other scavenging raptors throughout southern Tanzania, including first tests of vultures in SelousGame Reserve, which has more substantial hunting activity
POPULATION MONITORING
POISONING RESPONSEEstablished a formal collaboration with the NGO Lion Landscapes, also working in Laikipia County, Kenya. Our jointproject is called the Coexistence Co-Op. The Peregrine Fund continues to focus on Community CoexistenceTrainings, which includes two separate trainings focused on poisoning awareness and improving livestockmanagement (Trained 1,046 during the reporting period- 616 poisoning awareness and 430 livestock management).Trainees intervened to halt the poisoning of a lion pride, which would have poisoned untold numbers of vultures andother scavengers; trainings have also greatly reduced the poisoning of endangered Grey Crowned Cranes that arefrequently targeted by farmers because they consume maize and wheat seeds.
Hosted one regional poisoning mitigation in south Botswana with partner, Endangered Wildlife Trust; a secondworkshop is planned for August in the northern part of Botswana.
Planning underway to conduct poisoning response training with Tanzanian Wildlife Authority, Tanzanian NationalPark, and Frankfurt Zoological Society staff around Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania in September 2019.
INFRASTRUCTURE THREATSCompleted, ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment for Wind Power and Biodiversity in Kenya’ together with partnersThe Biodiversity Consultancy, Nature Kenya, and BirdLife.VulPro staff pro-actively seek out dangerous structuresaround high-risk areas including breeding colonies, vulture feeding sites, and high-use areas identified from GPStracking efforts. VulPro continues to advance their partnership with Eskom through a joint research venture aimedat identifying high risk areas and the characteristics of these incidents.
Foodavailability
Botulism
CholeraRabies
TB
Anthrax
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
Support African Vulture SAFE through social media awareness days.
SOCIAL VULTURESJOIN US IN CELEBRATING VULTURES
Regardless of the day or conservation holiday, vulturesdeserve to be talked about! We have developedmessaging categories to help you celebrate ALLvultures or specifically African vultures. We hope thatyou will use these Key Messages at your facility and insocial media posts.
TALK ABOUT VULTURES
#VULTURESAFE #SAVEOURSCAVENGERS
KEYMESSAGING
Vultures aroundthe world are
either threatenedor endangereddue to humanimpacts on theenvironment
Poaching
Poisoning Collisions withenergy
infrastructures
HabitatLoss
IMPORTANT DATES
January 5 | National Bird DayMarch 3 | World Wildlife Day
3rd Friday of May | Endangered Species DayApril 22 | Earth Day
2nd Sat of May & October | World Migratory Bird DayJuly 31 | World Ranger Day
1st Sat of September | International Vulture Awareness DaySeptember 4 | National Wildlife Day
September 7 | Threatened Species DayDecember 4 | World Wildlife Conservation Day
Other important dates to talk about African Vultures
August 10 | World Lion Day August 12 | World Elephant Day
September 22 | Elephant Appreciation Day & World Rhino Day
October 4 | World Animal DayDecember 4 | International Cheetah Day
Talk about vultures as much as you can!
Use these hashtags, and tag the RaptorTAG's facebook page, in your posts.
VULTURESNEED OUR
HELP
VULTURESARE IN
TROUBLE
Vulture populationsaround the world are
declining, with 16 of 23species (or 70%) listed
as Threatened,Endangered, or
Critically Endangered.
They are the most
imperiled group
of birds.
12 of 16 Old WorldVultures are listed as
Endangered or CriticallyEndangered, with more
than 80% of speciesdeclining.
PEOPLENEED
VULTURESVultures clean
our planet. Theyhelp control the
spread ofdiseases.
Vultures' removal ofcarcasses is an
irreplaceable ecosystemservice that would costgovernments millions of
dollars.
They are
nature's trash
collectors and
the soap of the
savannah.
THREATS
Shareable Social GraphicsVulture SAFE Logos & Frames
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
Social Media Toolkit to support your IVAD event
SOCIAL MEDIA: IVADSAFE FOCUS DAY: JOIN US IN CELEBRATING AFRICAN VULTURES
#IVAD2019 | #SAVEOURSCAVENGERS | #VULTURESAFE
This day is celebrated around the world to raise awareness about the importance of vultures in the world’secosystems and the threats facing them today. Always the first Saturday in September, International VultureAwareness Day (IVAD) is recognized and celebrated by many conservation organizations and communitiesaround the globe to increase education efforts around the value of all vulture species and to mobilizecommunities to take action on behalf of these amazing scavengers! While vultures can be celebrated on anyconservation holiday (see Social Vultures page for suggested dates), IVAD is our main focal day of the year.
ABOUT IVAD
Keep to one story per post, try to use no more than 3hashtags, and ALWAYS use a photo or video. We wantto see those vultures!
We have provided some graphics for Facebook andTwitter, or utilize the logos and frames in our GoogleDrive toolkit to create your own.Use text bar and logo frame when using with yourown images.Use copy from this toolkit for suggested post material.
Creating connections to vultures is going to help guests takeaction on their behalf. Humanize your posts about vulturesby sharing photos and videos to showcase the amazingvultures at your institution.
Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating connections tovultures. Consider including links to blogs in your socialmedia posts to share stories about vultures, conservationefforts and the people who are working on their behalf.
Encourage your social media followers to support theSAFE program by purchasing SAFE TShirts during thecampaign (9/1/19-9/22/19), donate directly to one of the4 SAFE programs (provide a link), donate to the SAFEGoFundMe, or share your posts with others to increasethe awareness of vultures.
Here are links to education resources created by the AVSAFE team for your IVAD event. Click the text to go tothe link:
Vulture Profiles
Vulture Education & Activities KitVulture Wingspan coloringpages and banners
SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES
Primary hashtag: #IVAD2019 Secondary hashtags: #saveourscavengers & #vulturesafe
Website: RaptorTAG.com/vultureeducation
Google DriveMedia Toolkit: tinyurl.com/2019VultureSAFE
Facebook: Raptor Taxon Advisory Group
SAFE FOCUS DAY: IVADSocial Media can be an effective tool to create andincrease awareness and viability on important issuesfacing wildlife, especially vultures. It is particularlyuseful when promoting events like IVAD and otherendangered species awareness days.
The use of social media can be used to ask guests andsupporters to take action on behalf of vultures such asconservation behavior and fundraising.
You can encourage your followers to support the 2019Vulture SAFE T-shirt Fundraiser (running through July31 and again during IVAD-September 1-22:
Or the Vulture SAFE GoFundMe campaign to makedirect donations
2019 Vulture SAFE T-shirt Fundraiser
https://www.bonfire.com/2019vulturesafe/
2019 Vulture SAFE GoFundMehttps://www.gofundme.com/f/african-vulture-safe
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES FOR IVAD 2019
SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES
R A P T O R T A G . C O M / S A F ER A P T O R T A G . C O M / V U L T U R E E D U C A T I O N
SUGGESTED POSTS
VULTURES NEED OUR HELP
MAIN THEMES
Vulture populations around the world are declining, with 16 of 23species (or 70%) listed as Threatened, Endangered, or CriticallyEndangered.
Vultures are the most imperiled group of birds in the world.
Under siege from pollution and poison, collisions with powerinfrastructure, habitat loss and food scarcity, some species havedeclined by 99% over the last 20 years.
Partners in the #VultureSAFE program are working together#SAVEourScavengers
Partners in the #VultureSAFE program are working together #SAVEourScavengers
Partners in the #VultureSAFE program are working together#SAVEourScavengers
Lead each post with either "Vultures Need Our Help" or "People Need Vultures". Pair with graphics provided in theGoogle Drive Social Media kit or create your own. Or share posts from the Raptor TAG's Facebook page.
PEOPLE NEED VULTURES
#IVAD2019 | #SAVEOURSCAVENGERS | #VULTURESAFE
Vultures clean our planet.
They consume carcasses that would otherwise rot and spread diseases tohumans and their livestock. Their highly acidic stomachs digest nasty
pathogens such as rabies, cholera, botulism, anthrax, and tuberculosis.
They're more than garbage collectors, they're the soap of the savanna.
They clean the environment and prevent us from catching deadly diseases. Inconsuming 70% of animal carcasses in Africa, they stop the proliferation of pests
that would otherwise feed on the carcasses and provide a valuable ecosystemcleaning service.
If vultures go extinct, we are in trouble.
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VULTURES NEED OUR HELPSome populations of African vultures have declined by 95% over the last 30years. 7 of Africa's 11 species are listed as endangered or critically endangered. Theyare approaching extinction because of a combination of issues:
African vultures are often poisoned as collateral damage during human-animal conflicts with predators.
They are targeted by poachers because they act as sentinels for gamewardens to elephant, rhino, and other poaching incidents.
They are injured or killed when they collide with power lines or windturbines in their flight paths or not outfitted with bird-safe devices.
30% of vulture deaths are for their body parts. Vulture body parts areused in the “muthi” trade, traditional beliefs and healers, as well as formeat. Their eyes and brains are consumed for clairvoyance. Theirfeathers are traded illegally.
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Support the #VultureSAFE program directly by purchasing a Vulture SAFE T-shirt(bonfire.com/2019vulturesafe) or donating to the Vulture SAFE GoFundMe campaign(gofundme.com/f/african-vulture-safe)
SUGGESTED POSTS
VULTURES NEED OUR HELP
THREATS TO ALL VULTURES
Vultures are theatened by plastic pollution- they will pick up small pieces of trash to eat,feed to their young, or line their nests. This can cause impaction and complications fromingestion, or entanglement in nests and roost sites.
Lead poisoning is a major threat to vultures, too. They consume leftover gutpiles fromhunting or animals killed with lead ammunition. This meat contains fragments of leadwhich poisons and kills them. Hunting with non-lead ammo is a great way to protectwildlife from lead poisoning.
They are threatened by poisoning, poaching, and human infrastructure in their flightpaths (such as wind turbines and electric power lines).
#IVAD2019 | #SAVEOURSCAVENGERS | #VULTURESAFE
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PEOPLE NEED VULTURESVultures provide critical ecosystem services for people by cleaning upcarcasses. The value of vultures' carcass cleanup service world-wide is in the millions,based on the estimated costs of increased removal services by peopleshould vultures disappear. Vultures also offset healthcare costs by preventing the spread of diseases.When vulture populations crash, diseases increase. In India, for example,feral dog populations have increased dramatically following the Asianvulture collapse of nearly 99% in some species. Costs associated withhuman rabies cases transmitted by feral dog bites are at an estimated US$2.43 billion annually on average. Annually, around 30,000 people a yeardie from rabies cases in India.
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Since 2014, 30 AZA Zoos and Aquariums have contributed over $1 Million USD tovulture conservation around the globe. Since the creation of the African VultureSAFE program in 2018 more than $670,000 has been dedicated to this program.AZA zoos collaborate with the international zoo community and conservationorganizations across many focal areas to #SaveOurScavengers around the world. This includes sending staff to field sites to assist with trapping and tagging vultures;performing or financially supporting field surveys to assess populations, monitorindividual birds or nests, or assess basic biology, feeding ecology and overallconservation and management needs; developing and delivering education programs toincrease awareness of vultures and decrease human-wildlife conflicts that may result invulture deaths; training poisoning response teams that will safely remediate poisonedcarcasses; assisting with or leading vulture rehabilitation and reintroduction; helpestablish "vulture safe zones" in areas with high poisoning incidents; and more. The while the #VultureSAFE program focuses on 6 African Vulture species, all 23species of vulture need our help. Supporting your local AZA zoo helps vultures aroundthe world. Support the #VultureSAFE program directly by purchasing a Vulture SAFE T-shirt(bonfire.com/2019vulturesafe/) or donating to the Vulture SAFE GoFundMecampaign (gofundme.com/f/african-vulture-safe).
Support the #VultureSAFE program directly by purchasing a Vulture SAFE T-shirt(bonfire.com/2019vulturesafe/) or donating to the Vulture SAFE GoFundMe campaign(gofundme.com/f/african-vulture-safe).
Worldwide, 70% of vulture species are listed as threatened, endangered, orcritically endangered.
SUGGESTED POSTS
ACTION-ASKS - TAKE ACTION FOR VULTURES
Pair your messaging posts with any of these action items.
Stand and fight for vultures in Africa. Vulture conservation desperately needs yoursupport. Raise awareness about vultures.
Donate to the African Vulture SAFE program's GoFundMe campaign (launchingAugust, 2019- in time for International Vulture Awareness Day).gofundme.com/f/african-vulture-safeDonate directly to one of the four SAFE program partners: The Peregrine Fund,VulPro, Denver Zoo, or North Carolina Zoo.Buy a SAFE T-shirt from shirts from our annual fundraiser (2019 campaignwill re-launch September 1, 2019, 1 week before IVAD and will run for 3weeks). All proceeds go directly to the SAFE program partners.
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Additional action-steps. Never buy African animal products and tell five people why.Join nature’s clean-up crew by volunteering in a local cleanup and pledge to pick up10 pieces of litter pollution every Thursday for vultures. #VultureThursdayTake a Plastic Free Challenge and learn how to reduce your single-use plastics. Julyis plastic-free month, or make every day plastic free! plasticfreejuly.org orplasticfreechallenge.org #PlasticFreeChallengeSwitch to non-lead ammunition or ask hunter-friends to do so for the mostenvironmentally ethical hunting. #GetTheLeadOutVolunteer with VulPro- This SAFE program partner in South Africa thrives onvolunteer help. Many vulture lovers, zoological professionals, and people passionateabout conservation volunteer for short to long stays at their facility and help withrehabilitation of injured vultures, vulture chicks, feeding and cleaning, andmaintenance projects. Contact Maggie Hirschauer ([email protected]) for moreinformation.
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V is for Vulture - Selfies for International Vulture Awareness Day posts Do you have zoo staff who have already purchased and received their Vulture SAFEshirts? Post photos of staff wearing their shirts, sporting a "V" (peace sign) forvultures! Or create a "selfie" sign for guests to hold up at your vulture exhibit or educationstation during IVAD (see Denver Zoo's example on the right). Take photos with/of:
vultures at your facility of staff or guests sporting the "V" signcreate a vulture-selfie station for guests during your IVAD eventyou/your team wearing your Vulture SAFE shirts (bonus points if there are alsovultures in the photo!) Encourage your followers to purchase a Vulture SAFE shirtwhile the campaign lasts.
Share with/tag the Raptor TAG Facebook page, with the #SaveOurScavengers and#VultureSAFE hashtags.
Bonfire.com/2019vulturesafeShare the Annual Vulture SAFE T-shirtfundraiser to your social communities.This year's winning design was voted onand designed by Alize Veillard-Muckensturm.
#IVAD2019 | #SAVEOURSCAVENGERS | #VULTURESAFE
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
Support African Vulture SAFE in a way that fits at your location.
SUPPORT VULTURESJOIN US IN CELEBRATING VULTURES
Round up for vultures in your gift shop and concessionsstands. Select one month of the year (we suggestSeptember to coincide with International VultureAwareness Day) to round up for Vulture SAFE.
ROUND UP IN YOUR SHOP
Sell goods, arts, crafts, tshirts, wrist bands, vinyl stickers, orother items at stations or in gift shops for your guests tostop by and purchase. Check out our Fundraise for Vultures idea page in this kitfor other inspiration.
FUNDRAISE FOR VULTURES
African Vulture SAFE 2019 T-shirtsare available in a limited onlinecampaign during IVAD. Thecampaign will launch September 1,2019 and run for three weeks,overlapping with during IVAD atBonfire.com/2019vulturesafe.Host a campaign at your facility, sellin your gift shop or at fundraisers,or just promote the SAFE program'scampaign this on social media.Contact us for bulk shirt orders.
SAFE TSHIRT CAMPAIGN
Contact Jacque Williamson, Brandywine Zoo([email protected])
or Taylor Rubin, Zoo Atlanta ([email protected])
Host a habitat cleanup or restoration project, or partnerwith another local group, to bring people out to clean uplitter and plastic pollution- big threats to vulture health.
HOST A HABITAT CLEANUP
Hold brown-bag lunches ("Roadkill Lunches" or "Carry-in,Carrion Lunches") on African Vulture Crisis or other threatsto vultures.
LECTURES
Download the VultureSAFE coloring sheets orfull-size banners.
VULTURES CONSERVATIONSTATIONS
Create vulture conservation education stations that canoperate with a staff or volunteer interpreter. Findinspiration for activities in our Vulture Education Kitavailable at RaptorTAG.com/VultureEducation
AFRICAN VULTURE SAFE
Support the African Vulture SAFE action plan by raising awareness andfundraising. Pick what works for you!
FUNDRAISE FOR
VULTURES
VENTURE OUT FOR VULTURESHIKE | WALK | RUN | HUNT | FLY
Organize a 1/3/5K hike, walk, or run. Get teams together for a city "Scavenger Hunt for
Scavengers"Pair your event with extra vulture fun:
free flight vulture program | meet a live vulturelecture | education tables | vulture program
bake sale | sell vulture art We recommend this event occurs in September, which is
not only the same month as IVAD, but also the beginning offall raptor migration season and a great time to watch for
vultures!
SMALL SALES BAKE | ART | CRAFTS | DECALS
Vulture Vomit Bake Sales Make vulture cookies or "vulture vomit" for a bake sale. Buy a vulture-shaped cookie cutter off Amazon or Etsy. Search for “White Trash,” “Puppy Chow” (Chex cerealrecipe), or similar type cookie/sweet trail mix recipes.
Vulture Art SalesMake vulture art a centerpiece of
your event.Paintings BY vultures
Art OF vulturesPaint FROM vultures, such as the
feather prints on the right.
EAT OR DRINK FOR SCAVENGERSICE CREAM | RESTAURANTS
COFFEE | BREWS | WINE
Partner with a local restaurant, ice cream parlor, coffeeshop, bar, brewery, or vineyard. Many businesses allow
fundraisers with "takeovers" (such as guest bartenders orice cream scoopers) to raise funds, or will donate a portion
of the check if diners mention the fundraiser on a given day.
RECREATE FOR A CAUSEBOWLING | ROCK GYMS | MOVIES
PUTT-PUTT | AXE-THROW | ESCAPEPAINT OR PLANT NIGHTS
Organize a special group night at a local business where aportion of funds goes to your cause. Many will allow silent
auction tables during the event, too! At plant or paint nights,guests all go home with something they created. Don't forget
new or local trends and crazes, like escape rooms or axe-throwing gyms!
Above L to R: vulture decorated cookies; Alton Brown's "White Trash""Funfetti" style Puppy Chow;
Vulture DecalsVinyl cut vulture logos
go great on any accessory! Makeand cut yourself or work with an
Etsy shop for a custom bulk order!
Contact Taylor Rubin, Zoo Atlanta, forinformation on how to send funds
directly to the African Vulture SAFEaccount OR for information on donating
directly to any of the four SAFE-supported programs.
HOW TO DONATE FUNDS
the safe team
Field PartnersRaptors Botswana (RB), Kalahari Research andConservation (KRC), Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS), The Peregrine Fund, Ruaha CarnivoreProject (RCP), Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS),VulPro AdvisorsAndre Botha (IUCN Vulture Specialist Group) Initial Program PartnersBrandywine Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, DallasZoo, Denver Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, North CarolinaZoo, San Diego Zoo Global, St. Augustine AlligatorFarm Zoological Park, St. Louis Zoo, Tracy Aviary,Zoo Atlanta
Corinne Kendall, North Carolina ZooProgram Lead
Graeme Patterson, Denver Zoo
Vice Program Leader
Jacque Williamson, Brandywine ZooPublic Engagement Subcommittee LeadOther Steering Committee Members & Collaborators
Jenyva Turner and Liza Dadone, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Ann Knutson, Dallas ZooErin Stotz & Molly Maloy, Denver Zoo
Sarah Woodhouse and Thomas Schneider, Detroit ZooFrankfurt Zoological Society
Moses Selebatso, Kalahari Research and ConservationHannah Baker, Little Rock Zoo
Living with Lions Lion Landscapes
Mike Maxcy, Los Angeles ZooOl Pejeta Conservancy
Mugie RanchNational Museums of Kenya
Meredith Bruhn, NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll ShoresPaige McNickle and Bryan Mac Aulay, Phoenix Zoo
Darcy Ogada, Peregrine FundEstelle Sandhaus, Santa Barbara ZooMichael Mace, San Diego Zoo Global
James Hassel, SmithsonianlGen Anderson, St. Augustine’s Alligator Farm
Anne Tieber, St. Louis ZooTim Brown, Tracy Aviary
University of YorkWildlife Conservation Society
Kerri Wolter and Maggie Hirschaeur, VulProTaylor Rubin, Zoo Atlanta
W H O ' S I N V O L V E D ?
Photo: G. Andersen, St. Augustine's Alligator Farm
questions
Corinne KendallNorth Carolina Zoo
FCC LiaisonTim Brown, Tracy Aviary
Raptor TAG Advisor
Scott Tidmus, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
conservation
partner
Population monitoring, rangertraining in responding to poisoningevents, awareness raising, andsatellite tagging of several vulturespecies. Together these activitieshave provided crucial informationabout vulture ecology andbehavior in the region, helped toreduce poisoning activities, andwhen poisoning does occur, hasensured rapid clean-up, evidencecollection, vulture rehabilitation,and arrest of perpetrators.
Ruaha and Katavi National Park,Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
African white-backed vulture,lappet-faced vulture, white-headed vulture, hooded vulture,Rüppell’s griffon vulture
Photo: C. Kendall, NC Zoo
focal species
N O R T H
CA R O L I NA Z O O
location
their work
contact
Corinne KendallNorth Carolina Zoo
Make donations directly to the NorthCarolina Zoo, program leader for the
African Vulture SAFE program.
support vultures in Tanzania
conservation
partner
Veterinary pharmacologicalresearch, Cape Vulture colonymonitoring, rehabilitation ofinjured vultures, conservationbreeding and reintroductions(breeding non-releasable CapeVultures, African White-backedVultures, Lappet faced Vultures,and White-headed Vultures), andpublic education.
Zoological facilities often send trainedkeeper staff to support VulPro'srehabilitation work. Many vulture
lovers, zoological professionals, andpeople passionate about conservation
volunteer for short to long stays attheir facility and help with
rehabilitation of injured vultures,vulture chicks, feeding and cleaning,
and maintenance projects.
Contact Maggie Hirschauer for moreinformation.
V U L P R O their work
support vultures in South Africa
VulPro.com
contact
Maggie [email protected]
Ruaha and Katavi National Park,Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
location
Cape vulture, African white-backedvultures, lappet-faced vultures, andwhite-headed vultures
focal species
Photo: D. Kleynhans, VulPro
conservation
partner
Working to address keyknowledge gaps by conductingraptor surveys, monitor keyvulture breeding sites and whennecessary advocate for protectionof these sites (cliff nests for CapeVultures), track vulture mortalityand establish population range,and lead exposure, engage newcommunities, and train poisonfirst-responders. This projectaligns with five strategicobjectives of the SAFE SMSAfrica Vulture Plan and will helprealize the larger goal of securingviable vulture populations inBotswana through sound science,honest community engagement,and capacity building.
Botswana
African white-backed vulture,hooded vulture, lappet-facedvulture, white-headed vulture,cape vulture
Photo: Denver Zoo
focal species
D E N V E R Z O O
location
their work
contact
Graeme PattersonDenver Zoo
Make donations directly to Denver Zoo
support vultures in botswana
conservation
partner
Tagging vultures with trackingdevices in northern Kenya toidentify key habitats and priorityareas for conservation efforts, aswell as to highlight their wide-ranging movements across Eastand Central Africa, whichpreviously were unknown. Thisdata is will lend torecommendations for placement ofwind farms, oil pipelines, and otherinfrastructure to develop asensitivity map for Kenya togetherwith our collaborators. Their project Stop Poisoning Nowworks to raise awareness aboutwildlife poisoning and trainpoisoning incident responsecommunity members.
KenyaLaikipia, Isiolo and Samburu
counties
Hooded vulture, Rüppell’s griffonvulture, African white-backedvultures, white-headed vulture,and lappet-faced vulture
Photo: M. Maxy, LA Zoo
focal speciesT H E P E R E G R I N E F U N D
location
their work
contact
Darcy OgadaThe Peregrine Fund
Make donations directly to thePeregrine Fund
support vultures in kenya
ThePeregrineFund.org