Vulture Restaurant and Monitoring Program

Cape Vulture Restaurant and Monitoring Project

Location/Club:  Rotary Club of Brits Hartbeespoort, 9400, Pretoria, South Africa
Keywords: Biodiversity, Disease control and prevention, Endangered species

Description

The Cape Vulture Restaurant and Monitoring Project is supported by the Rotary Club of Brits Hartbeespoort in Pretoria, South Africa (District 9400).  

Every Saturday or Sunday, Rotarians travel to the Nyoka Ridge Vulture Restaurant to feed the vultures.  The vultures are fed pigs free of toxic chemicals.  The pigs are donated by a local pig farm.

The Cape Griffon vulture has become endangered both as a result of intentional and unintentional poisoning.  

They are poisoned intentionally by poachers who view them as a threat.  Circling vultures give away their illegal slaughtering.

Accidental poisonings occur through ingestion of deceased livestock who were treated with the pain-killer and anti-inflammatory Voltaren.

Vultures are a keystone species.  Protecting the keystone species is fundamental to maintaining the entire ecosystem.  

The Cape Vulture Restaurant and Monitoring Project is situated in one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, the Magaliesberg Biosphere.  Rotarians do amazing things.  Who knew vultures need care, too?

The Cape Vulture Restaurant and Monitoring Project is also planting trees to provide shade for the vulture viewing area.