In the quiet of dawn, a cardboard crate arrived at our partner facility, Wild & Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in South Nelspruit, South Africa. Inside lay Khanya, a young Cape Vulture poisoned while scavenging, her wings trembling, her eyes already clouding.

Khanya survived … but barely. She’s one of the lucky few pulled from the tragedy you’ve read about in recent weeks: deliberate mass poisonings that have taken more than 200 vultures since May.

Every poisoned bird we rescue must relearn how to stand, feed, balance, and ultimately fly. Yet right now, Khanya and dozens like her have nowhere safe to stretch their wings during recovery. Our treatment rooms are bursting. Makeshift perches line every spare corner. Birds that should be soaring are grounded because we simply don’t have the space.

Poachers are trying to eradicate all give away signs that an animal is down. Giving them more time to harvest the goods and make a getaway from the carcass. Ignoring the vital balance birds of prey bring to the delicate ecology of its lands.

We understand this is challenging to witness, [photos of 100s of birds that did not survive are not being shown here] therefore, the urgent need for an aviary cannot be overstated. We kindly urge you to support Over and Above Africa and our partners in our mission to protect and rehabilitate these vulnerable, at-risk birds of prey. YOUR HELP CAN SAVE THEM! Any donation, big or small, makes a huge difference. Thank you for your heartfelt support!

THANK YOU to our Volunteers who go into the bush and work late into the night/early morning to triage, treat and care...

Volunteers work into the night to care and hydrate for 100s of poisoned vultures.

With your donations... The lucky ones that we are able to release back into the wild - THANK YOU!

Additional back ground - PRESS Release - Press Release Partnership with Vulpro _ Wild & Free

"...IMPUMALANGA PROVINCE, South Africa, May 2025 In a devastating week for vultures, two mass poisoning incidents in South Africa’s Lowveld have left conservationists and wildlife lovers shocked. In Kruger National Park, 123 vultures perished after poachers tainted an elephant carcass with a toxic pesticide to hide their illegal activities. Just a few days later, a second incident in Marloth Park resulted in the death of 102 vultures, including 92 white-backed vultures—almost 90% of which were breeding adults—along with nine hooded vultures and one white-headed vulture. With fewer than 50 breeding pairs of white-headed vultures (Trigonoceps occipitalis) left in South Africa, the loss of any adult is biologically significant. In both instances, the poisoned carcasses (one being an elephant and the other a warthog) were left by the culprits, strongly suggesting that their intention was to eradicate vultures as sentinels—preventing their circling from warning rangers of poaching activities. These consecutive attacks highlight an increasing and targeted threat to the vulture populations of southern Africa..."

Like you, we’re just people, who care deeply about protecting Africa’s vulnerable wildlife. Our ten-year long, stellar reputation has been earned, project by project, through building relationships with the people and organizations most impacted by poaching and human/wildlife conflicts, through funding, mentoring, and amplifying their initiatives. #JoinUs

URGENT: Enclosure for Poisoned Vultures Rehabilitation

Every poisoned bird we rescue must relearn how to stand, feed, balance, and ultimately fly.