6 
EAN>*S 
VOktfm It. H/v**- 14 ?. KOI 
Vulture 
Monitoring in 
Kenya 
Munir Virani 
Box 45111. 00100 Nairobi 
munir. viranl@btgfoot com 
In the Indian subcontinent, 
populations of at least three species 
of Gyps vultures have crashed by as 
much as 95% since 199T The cause 
of this large-scale vulture mortality 
remains unknown, but a disease 
specific to Gyps vultures is highly 
suspected. I'he great majority of 
deaths (nearly 75%) are caused by 
renal failure manifested as visceral 
gout (the deposition of uric acid 
crystals in the internal organs.) 
Indian Gyps vultures have been 
globally listed as critically 
endangered species. 
The distribution of Gyps vultures is 
continuous from the Indian 
subcontinent, across the Middle 
Fast, right to the southern tip ot 
Africa. The Eurasian Griffon Gyps 
fulvus, which winters in the Great 
Indian Desert, has also been 
recorded in Kenya. Thus, should the 
cause of the gout-associated vulture 
mortalities in the Indian 
subcontinent be a transmissible 
disease, populations of Gyps vultures 
in Africa are highly at risk 
Vultures play a vital role in the 
ecology of tin East African savanna 
plains They consume nearly 70% of 
large animals that die and would 
otherwise become a health hazard to 
both wildlife and people. In East 
Africa, vultures are already 
threatened by poisoning of carcasses, 
human persecution, lolling of nest 
trees and the reduction of plains 
game populations, resulting in a food 
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