'Beware of vulture muti'
2007-12-05 11:04
Johannesburg - Vulture parts used in traditional medicines can be poisonous to people, said Ezemvelo Kwazulu-Natal Wildlife (EKZNW) on Tuesday.
"Poachers use strong poisons to kill the birds and then sell them on to the large urban 'muti' markets around the country," said the nature conservation authority.
"Consumers unknowingly buy these poisoned birds or parts of them thereby exposing themselves to severe risk of fatal poisoning or severe illness should they eat the vulture part or ingest it as part of a 'muti' mix."
EKZNW said there was no obvious way members of the public could discern a poisoned vulture from a bird which has not been poisoned.
In January this year 51 birds were killed using a poison so powerful it did not break down but was carried in the body parts and flesh of the dead birds.
EKZNW CEP Khulani Mkhize said that besides the human health aspect of this issue, the authority also had to face the possible local extinction of vultures due to poisoning.
If they are not afforded more protection, it is predicted that some vulture species would be extinct in South Africa by 2020.
"A great concern to us is that vultures, which are so much an integral part of Zulu culture, could well be wiped out within fifty years in this province by the unscrupulous activities of a small handful of poachers who have no consideration for the ecological and cultural value of this bird," said Mkhize.
- SAPA