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Flight for the Plight of the Cape Griffon Vulture

Added: (Sun Sep 30 2001)

THE FLIGHT FOR THE PLIGHT
Of the Cape Griffon Vulture

(October 1, 2001, Namibia, Africa)

The Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST), will host The Flight for the Plight of the Cape Griffon Vulture, an international hang gliding and paragliding fundraiser from November 2 – 18, 2001, in Namibia.

On the 10th of November there will be a community awareness day at the Otjiwarongo airfield. The public and press are invited to visit and watch the pilots launch. There will be information on the birds and REST founder Maria Diekmann will be available to answer questions. Captive raised and non-releasable vultures will be there for the day and the public will be able to see how beautiful these birds are, and learn how beneficial they are to our land.

THE PLIGHT

The Cape Griffon Vulture is endemic to southern Africa and is experiencing continuous declines as the result of poisoning, electrification, habitat destruction and diet deficiencies. There are only 11 birds remaining in the last Namibian colony at the Waterberg Plateau Park near Otjiwarongo. Fifty years ago there were over 2000 Cape Griffons in Namibia with at least 500 of them in the Waterberg colony.

If something is not done now to stop this decline, this will be only the second species in recorded history to become extinct in Namibia.


THE FLIGHT

Because both these pilots and vultures share the same air space and use the same engine - thermals and the sun, REST believes that this is an excellent way to raise international awareness and to generate funds for Namibia’s most endangered species.

Pilots from all over the world will be launching near the Waterberg and will then fly their way southwest towards the Namib Desert and the dune fields of Sossusvlei (Solitaire) and then to the southeast towards the Kalahari (Mariental).

Most days of the Flight will consist of downwind races with open distance in order to accumulate as many kilometers as possible and to add to the possibility of a pilot breaking a local or world record.

FUNDS RAISED FROM THIS FLY-IN WILL BENEFIT THE FOLLOWING REST PROJECTS:

Satellite telemetry collars: to provide vital information on the bird's foraging, behavioral & social patterns
Testing the birds for contaminates & heavy metals, and to determine their sex.
Building aviaries in order to house rehabilitated and captive bred birds for proper release into Namibia’s wild population
Positively identifying the current population via photography, and developing 'vulture passports'
Building a vulture restaurant & hide at REST headquarters which will be available to the public for educational purposes and to provide an additional safe feeding site
Supplemental feeding programs at the Waterberg Breeding Cliffs
Developing a pamphlet for communal and commercial farmers on poisons and their relationship to raptors
Giving public talks on poison and vultures for a variety of school and community organizations
Maintaining our web site to keep the public up to date about the vultures' plight and progress


Contact:

REST Headquarters
Jorg & Maria Diekmann
PO Box 178
Otjiwarongo, Namibia 9000
T: 00264.67.306226
Email: awt@iafrica.com.na
Website: www.RESTafrica.org

REST USA
Laurie Carreira
1728 N. Cleveland, #1R
Chicago, IL 60614 USA
T: 312.573.1730
Email: lcarreira@aol.com

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