African vulture populations have collapsed by over 80 percent due to deliberate poisoning by poachers and farmers, threatening ecosystem functions that depend on their scavenging.
Vulture poisoning events kill hundreds of birds at a single carcass and cause a prolonged and distressing death. Organophosphate and carbofuran poisoning used in these events causes muscle paralysis and internal organ failure. Beyond individual welfare, the loss of vulture populations removes a critical disease control service as rotting carcasses harbor anthrax and other pathogens that then spread to wildlife and livestock.