The annual Zululand Vulture tagging project is a collaboration between the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Birds of Prey Working Group, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the Wildlife ACT Fund. Together this team visits various Vulture nesting sites within Mkhuze Game Reserve, Zimanga Game Reserve, Pongola Game Reserve and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), to tag unfledged Vulture chicks with patagial (wing) tags. These visible tags allow for the collection of valuable data, including the monitoring of breeding success, foraging distances, population estimates, chick survival rates, etc. Last year a total of three Lappetfaced and four Whitebacked Vulture chicks were successfully tagged. More than 50 Vultures have been tagged in Mkhuze, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and Pongola since 2005.
This year’s project began today, with a 10-week old Lappet-faced Vulture chick and a similarly aged Whitebacked Vulture chick successfully tagged this morning in Mkhuze Game Reserve.
Wildlife ACT conservation volunteers present: Selina Daniels, Sarya Fark, Christiana Wüthrich and Kamila Wisniewska. The team will tag as many chicks as possible over the next few days.
Photos and text: Bronwen Kelly
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Eskom sponsored cherry picker[/caption][caption id="attachment_538" align="alignleft" width="683"]
This year, Eskom’s new remote battery-operated extendable camera allowed us to easily view the nests from the ground, to determine whether the chick was present in the nest.[/caption][caption id="attachment_542" align="alignleft" width="685"]
Vulture tagging sheet[/caption][caption id="attachment_548" align="alignleft" width="683"]
One of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff tagging a vulture's wing[/caption]
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Endangered wildlife monitor, Cole, from Wildlife ACT[/caption][caption id="attachment_551" align="alignleft" width="682"]
The Wildlife ACT Fund works with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)[/caption]
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The vulture is tagged and ready to be released.[/caption][caption id="attachment_557" align="alignleft" width="691"]
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff climbing into the cherry picker with the tagged vulture.[/caption][caption id="attachment_584" align="aligncenter" width="424"]
By purchasing the new Vulture shopping bag in Woolworths, you'll be helping the Wildlife ACT Fund with their vulture conservation work.[/caption]Click here to purchase the new Limited Edition Woolworths Vulture shopping bag.
