Conservationists have confirmed the first sighting of Cape vultures in over 30 years in the Spitskop-Cradock area of the Eastern Cape approximately 40km from Mountain Zebra National Park. More than 80 vultures were observed on a farm, marking a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to restore vulture populations in South Africa.
The sighting follows years of conservation work by VulPro, a leading vulture rehabilitation organisation focused on rescuing, rehabilitating and breeding vultures for reintroduction into the wild.
The Cape vulture population has declined sharply since the 1980s due to habitat loss, poisoning and collisions with energy infrastructure. Between 1992 and 2007, the population in South Africa fell by 60-70, leading to their classification as threatened. By 2021, their status shifted to vulnerable due to improved conservation efforts resulting in an estimated population of 9600 to 12800 mature individuals.