Cape vulture populations are growing in parts of Southern Africa, and the number of Cape vultures is stable or increasing:
The Cape vulture is Southern Africa’s largest and only endemic vulture species. Beginning in the 1970s, Cape vulture colonies across the region shrank and many disappeared. It’s estimated that between 1992 and 2007, the species’ population in South Africa dropped by as much as 70%.
But in 2021, the Cape vulture’s conservation status improved from endangered to vulnerable on the IUCN Red List…
Today, the bulk of the Cape vulture’s estimated global population of between 9,600 and 12,800 mature individuals resides in South Africa. Breeding colonies are also found in Botswana and a ‘tiny’ population straddles the border of Mozambique and eSwatini, according to a review published last year.
“With a stable to increasing population at present, the Cape vulture does indeed provide hope for our conservation efforts focused on other species,” says André Botha, co-chair of the Vulture Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority.
Cape vultures recently returned to areas near Mountain Zebra National Park in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province where they have not been seen in 30 years.
2021, the Cape vulture’s conservation status improved from endangered to vulnerable.
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