Image related to website content

Celebrating World Wildlife Day at the Potberg Cape Vulture colony

3 Mar 2021

By Lusanda Gqaza and Yanga Mbatana (Environmental Education Officers, De Hoop Nature Reserve)

On 20 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), proclaimed 03 March (the day of adopting the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES, in 1973), as World Wildlife Day. This is a day that recognizes and encourages symbiotic relations between humans and ecosystems. This year the international theme is Forests and Livelihoods.

It is especially appropriate to celebrate an important species that CapeNature has been conserving and monitoring for many years, the Cape vulture, Gyps copotheres, an endangered species found in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Mozambique. CapeNature’s De Hoop Nature Reserve, and in particular the Potberg mountains, serve as the only habitat with a viable population of the Cape vulture in the Western Cape.

Image related to website content

This species requires close monitoring to evaluate whether or not the population is increasing. Monitoring of the vultures is done by Ornithologist Kevin Shaw and his team. Surveys are done every year, once a month depending on the weather conditions, between April and September. During these surveys, free-flying vultures, fledglings and breeding pairs are counted. Over the years there has been an increase in the number of vultures found at Potberg, from 70 vultures in 1955 to over 300 birds in 2019 (free flying birds only). The number of breeding pairs and fledglings have also increased over the years and 64 fledglings were recorded in 2019. But just as for many other wildlife species, Cape vultures still face serious threats such as loss of habitat and poisoning.

Image related to website content

CapeNature continues to play a vital role in conserving and closely monitoring the vultures with hope that the population will continue to increase and with that the IUCN status of this special species will eventually change from endangered to least concern.

Share:

Related News

Robberg Nature Reserve copyright Scott N Ramsay 49
6 Jun 2024 by CapeNature
World Oceans Day 2024 - understanding our impact on the ocean

The link between oceans and the land is often not well understood. People describe the ocean as that massive water space out there. Little do they know that where they live and how they live actually impacts on this ocean, so much so that they, in their small way, can contribute to a healthy ocean or a polluted ocean.

WTM CN 40893 1
15 Apr 2024
CapeNature shines bright at WTM as attendance grows

World Travel Market (WTM) Africa concluded with impressive momentum, reflecting a 53% increase in attendees, indicating robust growth in African tourism.

Figure I Suurvlak
30 Nov 2021
Rare plant monitoring at Waterval Nature Reserve

Waterval Nature Reserve is home to an incredible variety of special plant species, one of which is the Critically Endangered Sorocephalus imbricatus. One of the populations is very heavily overgrown with Pinus pinaster.

Tegan Smith Photography Stony Point Penguin1
17 Nov 2021
CapeNature’s Stony Point now daily on WildEarth TV

“Penguin Beach” is an expert-hosted live and interactive experience with the colony of penguins. Viewers can follow regular characters within this colony in real time and ask the experts of CapeNature and WildEarth questions via Twitter and a chat option. This one of a kind LIVE experience on WildEarth allows viewers to watch it daily throughout the year, following specific characters as they grow from being newborns to fully fledged adults.

Cape Nature and DICT partnership
12 Nov 2021
CapeNature and Dyer Island Conservation Trust – Strategic partnership yields multiple conservation benefits in the Overberg region

The African penguin is on the brink of possible extinction in the wild within the next decade. Partnerships are vital in the ongoing effort to stabilise the African penguin population numbers. 

Mexcala rufa
8 Nov 2021 by Marienne de Villiers
Focus on spiders

Halloween, with its focus on terrifying creatures such as spiders, is just behind us. It’s a good time to think about our attitudes to spiders and some of the reasons to protect rather than kill them.