During the month, data was received from a tracking device on a White-backed Vulture that indicated the vulture may be injured.
Vulture data is tracked on online monitoring platforms, with GPS devices uploading at set time intervals. When there is a carcass, data from tracked vultures shows as a cluster on the monitoring platforms, with colour indicators showing whether there is cause for concern, or an urgent need to follow up in that area (see image below).
Within those data logs, a vulture was noted to be in the same area for a period of a few days, with no substantial movement recorded - indicating that the bird was likely moving on the ground only and unable to fly away. Upon by a field officer from the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the vulture was unfortunately found deceased, with a severely injured wing. It is likely that this damage to the wing was caused by a predator at a carcass. In this case, a potential mortality alert was issued by the GPS tracking device, although this was partially delayed because of the very thick vegetation. This event highlights the importance of vulture tracking data and how useful tracking data is for conservation.
When clusters of data from vultures are present, this usually indicates the presence of a large carcass. This alone is an incredibly useful tool in conservation, allowing ground teams to follow up on carcass alerts timeously. In addition, data from multiple vultures not moving enough, or away, from those areas can also indicate potential poisoning sites. These clusters, as seen in the screenshot below, are one of the many tools used to detect poaching and poisoning events.
Interestingly, in the same area and timeframe of the noted vulture activity, we are delighted to have captured new footage of the male white lion, on a camera trap in the UPNR. This male, known to be elusive, was last seen at Ingwelala in early January 2026, with rare sightings reported during 2025.
With recent sightings of him closer in the central part of the UPNR, and further south than before, it seems as though he and his tawny brother are beginning to expand their territorial reach, slightly overlapping the area currently occupied by the Ncila males - four male lions seen regularly at Ingwelala, N’tsiri, Motswari, and in the northern Timbavati PNR.
Despite the slight overlap in territories, there are no recorded physical interactions between the different coalitions of males.
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Wimpie Pretorius.