IMAGE : PROPERTY OF PETRO DIAMANT & EARTH ALIVE 365

The intended vultures that I was meant to work with were rescued by Rare Endangered Species Trust Namibia. This image is part of a series of images for the Earth Alive 365 Awareness Portfolio for Near Threatened & Endangered Species. PETRO DIAMANT & EARTH ALIVE 365 do not promote nor encourage taking images with animals. This image is used to raise awareness on current issues pertaining to the Cape Griffon - Cape Vulture Species

DREAMING VULTURES - Awareness Art : Cape Vulture

Awareness Artist for Near Threatened & Endangered Species : Petro Diamant

Organisation: Rare Endangered Species Trust (REST)

Photographer : Judy & Scott Hurd - www.h4urd.co.uk -Namibia

Griffon 3D Printed Model : Juliane - JulPal

Art Garment :   by Petro Diamant for EARTH ALIVE 365

Read the Mission Statement here mission statement

"Dreaming beauty into this world" - Petro Diamant

Vultures are scavenging birds of prey. A typical characteristic of most vultures is a bald head, devoid of normal feathers. Vultures are found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. There are 11 species of vultures in Africa, with the majority listed as endangered, such as the Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres), which has already been classified as extinct in Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Vultures clear up to 70% of Africa’s carrion and are extremely beneficial to humans, considerably reducing the spread of diseases, some of which can be fatal. Although vultures are classified as birds of prey, they rarely kill other animals and are almost exclusively carrion eaters.

There are 23 species of vulture globally, with 16 of these found in Africa. Of the 7 vulture species that occur in South Africa, all are either endangered, or critically endangered. Vulture conservation is therefore a major concern for wildlife conservationists.

Vultures are facing several threats, making their conservation a difficult task. Poisoning incidences are being regularly reported due to poison being left for pests, poachers lacing elephant or rhino carcasses to intentionally kill vultures (a single poisoned elephant carcass can result in hundreds of vulture’s deaths, wiping out an entire colony or local population), and anti-inflammatory drugs, used for livestock, which is lethal when ingested by vultures. In South Africa, power line electrocutions and collisions are the most prolific threats to vultures. Superstitious beliefs create a demand for the poaching of vultures and their parts, especially the head and feet. Their body parts are used for traditional medicinal purposes in the “muthi” trade as well as for meat. This in addition to poisonings poses as a major challenge for vulture conservation.

African vultures have declined drastically over the last 30 years to the level where five species are currently listed as Critically Endangered. This decline was the motivation for the drafting of an international Multi-species Action Plan for African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) which aims to stop this trend through effective intervention through a range of actions. Poisoning in its various forms is the most significant threat to these birds in Africa and impacts other wildlife across the continent.

Vultures are extremely important members of an ecosystem. These birds fly in from huge distances to pick rotting carcasses clean thereby helping to prevent disease outbreaks. Vultures are equipped with a digestive system that contains special acids that are able to dissolve anthrax, botulism, and cholera bacteria. Vultures essentially allow us to maintain the functioning and health of an ecosystem and Africa’s vulture crisis threatens devastating effects in fragile ecosystems, as well as risks to human health.