Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A GROWING chorus of animal welfare advocates is calling for stricter penalties on individuals who kill vultures, as the country grapples to prevent the looming extinction of the scavenger birds, which are crucial to the country’s ecosystem.
On Monday, prosecutors, police officers, and conservationists convened in Mutare for a workshop aimed at equipping them with the necessary knowledge and tools to better protect birds, particularly vultures, under local, regional, and international laws.
In an interview, animal welfare lawyer, Advocate Nancy Makuvise said their objective was to educate law enforcement officials on the laws in Zimbabwe, as well as regional and international legislations safeguarding birds and vultures in particular.
“The urgent focus on vultures stems from alarming trends in their population decline, driven primarily by poisoning and targeted killings. Despite being listed as specially protected under Zimbabwean laws, vulture killings continue to attract meagre penalties. A recent case in Harare saw two individuals caught with vulture heads being fined a mere US$180.
“This was far less than what is required by law. For hunting specially protected animals, the penalty should reflect the seriousness of the crime. We are advocating for sentences that are truly deterrent. If a convicted person is given community service, it should be served at an animal rehabilitation centre, rather than a clinic or police station. This way, we are, not only punishing, but also transforming mind-sets,” she said.
Vultures play a vital role in the ecosystem through disposing of carcasses and preventing the spread of disease.
However, their slow reproduction rates – laying just one egg per year and taking up to six years to reach reproductive maturity – make them particularly vulnerable to population decline.
According to BirdLife Zimbabwe, recent mass poisoning events in South Africa and Zimbabwe, which resulted in the deaths of over 100 vultures, have raised concerns that the species may become extinct without stronger legal intervention.
Preventing extinctions programme manager at BirdLife Zimbabwe, Mr Leeroy Moyo, emphasised the importance of training law enforcement officers to address a significant gap in their awareness.
“Our research shows that law enforcement officers may be knowledgeable about elephants, rhinos, or pangolins, but very little has been done to educate them about birds, especially vultures. The idea was to break down the legal framework, and demonstrate how it can be used to secure effective conviction. We have seen too many lenient fines that send the wrong message. A US$180 fine does not deter anyone from killing vultures again,” said Mr Moyo.
He also echoed calls for the judiciary and lawmakers to consider elevating vulture protection laws to the same level as those protecting pangolins and elephants.
Mr Moyo also advocated for minimum sentences of up to nine years for individuals convicted of killing vultures.
“Vultures are disappearing before our very eyes. If no action is taken, the environmental consequences will be catastrophic. We urge the authorities to take decisive action. These birds deserve more than nominal fines – they warrant protection backed by severe legal repercussions,” he said.
Beyond punitive measures, both Advocate Makuvise and Mr Moyo stressed the importance of shifting community perceptions of vultures.
Frequently misconstrued as pests or associated with superstition, vulture killings often go unreported, and even when they are reported, they are rarely prioritised for prosecution.
“Not many cases are reported because people think they are not important enough. But we need these cases to come to light. We need people to stop killing vultures and destroying their habitats,” said Advocate Makuvise.
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