Cape Griffon Vulture
Vultures have suffered from a bad public image over the years, but recently through better understanding and education, this perception has improved slightly. The Cape Griffon Vulture is spectacular: the heaviest vulture in southern Africa that also flies highest, its immense wings taking it to 8 000 metres above sea level!
However, it has another more dubious distinction: it is Namibia’s most endangered species with only eleven individuals remaining in the country. The decline in its population is due to the use of poisons, habitat destruction and dietary deficiencies. Up until now few studies have been done on the role vultures play as part of the ecosystem, so the project, run by Maria Diekmann and the Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST) researches and documents Cape Griffon Vultures in flight. In addition, it seems that because Cape Griffons fly higher, other lower flying species use them as "scouts", relying on their superior ability to spot food at greater heights. So the information gathered by the project is vital not just to the survival of this bird, but will benefit other raptor species as well.
Thanks to donations from many sources, including the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, in 2004, REST personnel began fitting Cape Griffon Vultures with satellite technology. 70g Argos-style transmitters were attached to the backs of four Cape Griffons via harnesses and released successfully back into the wild. This project represents incredible pioneering work in the field of vulture research: it is the first in the world to fit a satellite collar onto a Cape Griffon vulture, first to develop a capture aviary, and first in Africa – possibly the world – to catch and colour-ring almost 800 free-flying vultures (White-backed and Lappet-faced) in one operation. The rings help record the frequency of birds arriving at REST’s feeding station and all over Namibia as spotted by the general public and Wilderness Safaris guides.
REST plans to fit the remaining Namibian Cape Griffon vultures with satellite telemetry, but already the information being gathered has added immeasurably to our knowledge of the species.
Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust teamed up with Namibia Nature Foundation in partially sponsoring the satellite collar on a bird consequently given the name "SOFE", an acronym for "Spirit of Free Enterprise" – he appears to be an adult male and roosts in a tree near his pal Nedbank Namibia’s "Sky Banker"!
Sponsorship
Cost for sponsorship of a bird is still US$11,000.00 which seems like an incredible amount of money but please note that;
-the exchange rate is definitely in Namibia's favour and the business or body can name their very important bird
-we are leading vulture conservation world wide and the only hope for Namibia's last CGV is this telemetry
-We only have 11 CGVs left in Namibia making it our most endangered species and this bird is only found in southern Africa. If it goes extinct in Namibia it will be only the second recorded extinction in memory - the first was the White Rhino which was successfully reintroduced. This is highly impractical for CGV as they are incredibly social and will need the old birds here to show them foraging, roosting and breeding sites.
