Vultures are declining around the World. Much of this decline is a result of the use of a veterinary drugs in India and Asia which kill the vultures when they feed on carcasses that have received treatment with this drug, or due to the use of poisons such as carbofuran insecticides in East and southern Africa. Little was known about vulture species in Uganda apart from some basic monitoring of numbers. In 2011 WCS started a program to study vultures in the Greater Virunga Landscape, in particular the Lappet-faced vulture which is a threatened species and was identified as one of 13 landscape species for this landscape.
Richard Ssemmanda was taken on to lead this project and he was trained in the Masai Mara by Corinne Kendall in safe trapping methods for these animals. He has subsequently captured several animals and put global positioning backpacks on two white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) which we are monitoring as part of a pilot project to study this group. Regular monitoring of vultures at kills in Queen Elizabeth park indicate that there are few vultures of any species and even the most abundant species, the white-backed vulture, numbers less than 350 individuals. In one poisoning event this year over 50 white-backed vultures were killed indicating the level of impact that poisoning of carcasses can have on vulture numbers.
The radio tracking data is indicating where likely breeding sites occur in the landscape and given there are no breeding records of vultures in Uganda it is important to identify these and ensure they are protected. They have also shown that the vultures move long distances between parks, with one individual flying directly to Lake Mburo National park about 100 km east of Queen Elizabeth Park.
We are looking for funding to expand the pilot project and start to work on conservation actions for vultures in this landscape and in Uganda.