Hooded Vultures and other scavengers foraging at a slaughterhouse in Rwanda.

Claire Bracebridge

Tracking Hope: TPF Supporting Hooded Vulture Conservation in Rwanda

Africa

In December, The Peregrine Fund team traveled to the African country of Rwanda to support Nature Rwanda in a groundbreaking effort to protect Critically Endangered Hooded Vultures. Rwanda's Hooded Vultures live in human-modified landscapes, making their conservation uniquely challenging.

Two Hooded Vultures standing on the ground.
Evan Buechley


Our Southern Africa Program Manager, Dr. Claire Bracebridge, and Southern Africa Project Manager Msafiri Mgumba provided technical expertise as Nature Rwanda deployed nine GPS trackers (provided by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour) on vultures at two slaughterhouses (also known as abattoirs) in the capital city of Kigali and Musanze town. These sites are magnets for scavenging vultures, making them ideal locations to safely capture and tag vultures for research. “Trapping at abattoirs was a new experience for me,” notes Msafiri. 

Three photos. Top left shows a veterinarian drawing blood from a captured vulture. Top right shows a closeup of a newly fitted tracking device on a vulture. Bottom shows four biologists preparing to affix a tracker to a captured vulture.
Msafiri Mgumba (top left) | Claire Bracebridge (top right) | courtesy of Msafiri Mgumba (bottom)


The movement data collected by the trackers will reveal critical information about foraging patterns, roost sites, and nesting areas, enabling conservationists to develop targeted protection strategies for these Critically Endangered birds. Additionally, the collaboration included valuable training for Nature Rwanda staff Elie Sinayitutse and David Iradukunda, who learned capture methods, safe handling techniques, and tag attachment procedures. Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association veterinarians also collected samples for disease surveillance.

All tagged vultures are now integrated into TPF's Eye in the Sky monitoring system, allowing real-time tracking by both organizations as they work together to secure a future for Rwanda's Hooded Vultures.