Keeping the sky alive: Hot Cares funds GPS beacons to save endangered vultures

In the fight against wildlife crime, minutes matter. When a GPS tag on a vulture in Kruger’s Mahlangeni Section flagged unusual movement, it triggered one of the fastest, most coordinated poisoning responses in Southern Africa — the kind that saves lives at scale. Thanks to that alert, teams from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), SANParks and partners reached an elephant carcass laced with poison in time to rescue 84 vultures that would almost certainly have died.

Even so, the scale of the tragedy was devastating: 123 vultures had already perished — 102 White-backed, 20 Cape and one Lappet-faced. More than 20 conservationists, vets, and rangers were mobilised, working against the clock with poisoning treatment kits and constant monitoring. The EWT Birds of Prey Programme has achieved a 96% survival rate for poisoned vultures found alive in recent years, and many rescued from this scene were back at their nests within days.

This incident highlights how tracking is more than a research tool — it’s a frontline conservation weapon. Each fitted device acts as a roaming early-warning system, buying the precious time needed to save birds and collect intelligence on poaching activity. Without it, this poisoning would have gone undetected for days.

That’s why Hot Cares is stepping in to fund the ongoing GPS tracking of two vultures for the next year — covering the monthly subscription that keeps the “eye in the sky” active. It’s a small but vital act, ensuring these birds continue to play their ecological role while protecting many others.

Because when every minute matters, every alert can mean the difference between loss and life — and every act of care helps keep our skies alive.