Why is the Cape Griffon Vulture going extinct?
The Cape Griffon vulture, the largest bird of its kind in Africa, is also one of the most endangered. Listed as “vulnerable” to extinction by the World Conservation Union (which is similar to “threatened” on the Endangered Species List) the Cape Griffon vulture has suffered a significant population decline over the past few decades. Among the dangers faced by the Capes, which are confined to a small area of south and southwest Africa, is electrocution on power lines. In addition, changes in the migration patterns of large game herds and an increase in domesticated animals (which are usually buried when they die) have diminished the amount of food available to the birds and led to dietary insufficiencies. Of more concern, however, are mass accidental poisonings, says Maria Diekmann of the Rare and Endangered Species Trust (REST) in Namibia, where Cape Griffon vultures are the most endangered of all animal species. Farmers and ranchers commonly poison the carcasses of animals to kill pre
