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RAPTOR RESCUE
Raptors are also known as birds of prey. They include eagles, kites, hawks, harriers, vultures, owls and falcons.
Balancing on treetops, fending off pecks from a razor-sharp beak and emergency veterinary treatment. Last month, guests at Sala’s Camp got more than they bargained for on their Masai Mara game drive when they became part of a dramatic rescue to save a critically endangered Rüppell’s vulture.
Cruising along the river valley not far from camp, guests and guides had their eyes peeled for a leopard they had spotted the day before. Keenly scanning the treetops for hints of a feline tail, from a distance they noticed something strange. Upon closer inspection, they saw it was a Rüppell’s vulture dangling from an African olive tree. With one wing trapped between two branches, it was struggling to free itself. Rüppell’s vultures have declined drastically in recent years and are now critically endangered. An estimated 22,000 remain, with only around 2,000 breeding pairs left in Kenya.
A Rüppell’s vulture trapped in the Masai Mara. Population status: critically endangered
Of the eight vulture species in Kenya, four are critically endangered, two are endangered and one is near threatened.
Eager to assist the distressed raptor, our spotter from Sala’s Camp scaled the tree. Risking rotten branches and angry snaps from the blade-like beak, he struggled to free its wing which was well and truly trapped. Eventually, he broke the branch off which fell to the ground where guests and guides were waiting to cushion the bird’s fall in a blanket. Safely wrapped up, our vehicle drove the vulture to meet Lemein from the Mara Raptor Project (MRP). He assessed the vulture, whose wings were luckily not broken, and took it to a MRP rehabilitation centre just outside the Reserve to recover.
Of all 557 species of raptors, 52% are in decline and 18% are threatened with extinction.
A lappet-faced vulture in the Masai Mara, population status: endangered
The Masai Mara has one of the world’s largest diversity of raptors, with over 60 species. Yet raptors everywhere are in sharp decline and need protection. Major threats include poisoning and persecution from people (for bushmeat, traditional medicine and as a retaliation to perceived livestock damage). Decreasing numbers of indigenous trees that these birds like to breed and roost in is also problematic. Old World Vultures, like this rescued Rüppell’s vulture, are especially vulnerable to poisoning as they scavenge for food on carcasses. Tragically, carcasses are sometimes laced with poison by pastoralists trying to protect their livestock against attacks from lions. Moreover, large vultures like this only lay one egg a year (at most), which means the loss of an adult has a devastating effect on the breeding population.
As apex predators, raptors are a flagship species and indicate biodiversity and environmental health. Declining populations have knock-on effects right down the food chain.
A bird’s eye view of the Mara from an indigenous Boscia tree
Whilst vultures like this one do not always enjoy the most glamourous of reputations on the savannah, they play a vital role in the ecosystem. As scavengers, they help decompose dead animal matter, keeping the environment clean, lessening the spread of disease and controlling pest species.
Raptors are ‘recyclers of the Mara’; they perform vital ecosystem services by cleaning the carcasses of animal kills and limiting disease transmission.
We love spotting vultures on safari. It’s fascinating watching them move in on a kill once the big cats have had their fill, vying for head space inside the cavity and fending off other hopeful scavengers like jackals and hyenas. Their hunched stance and loping, head-bobbing gait make for entertaining viewing. Semi-bald heads add to their somewhat absurd appearance and are originally thought to be an adaptation to avoid matted feathers from their rather gruesome feeding habits. However, new research suggests it’s more likely a way to help regulate temperature and avoid facial overheating. Post-feed, you’ll see them basking in the sun, killing the bacteria of decaying meat scraps.
Vultures at sunset in the Masai Mara
Sala’s Camp has partnered with the Mara Raptor Project to plant raptor-friendly trees across the Mara ecosystem.
The Mara Raptor Project is the flagship project run by The Kenyan Bird of Prey Trust. Monitoring over 250 large raptor nests across the Mara ecosystem is just one of the ways in which they work to conserve birds of prey. They also use transmitters to collect data on behaviour, are first response rescuers and run several raptor rehabilitation centres across Kenya.
Sala’s Camp is about to team up with the MRP to plant a range of indigenous trees across the Masai Mara. These will include balanites aegyptiaca, boscia albitrunca and gardenia, the preferred breeding and roosting trees for many raptor species.
Rüppell’s vultures are the world’s highest-flying bird.
Rüppell’s vultures, like the one we rescued, can fly to lofty 37,000 feet – the highest altitude recorded of any bird! This was discovered from feathers found in the engine of an aeroplane. In order to survive at such extreme heights, they have four types of blood which enables them to extract oxygen from the thin air.
Our Sala’s Camp guests and the guiding team were delighted that they were able to help save this bird of prey from a tragic end. After several weeks in recovery, the vulture was released back into the Mara. However, permanent ligament damage to its wing sadly prevented it from flying well enough to survive in the wild. Therefore, a tough decision was made by the MRP to transfer it to their Naivasha Rehabilitation Centre, where it will be well cared for.
If you’d like to support our planting mission to help raptors across the Masai Mara, get in touch with our Footprint Manager at footprint@thesafaricollection.com. You can visit our Footprint foundation to find out more about the conservation work we support around each of our properties.
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