At least 1,000 vultures were found dead from an unknown cause in Guinea-Bissau, said the Vulture Conservation Foundation.

On February 28, 2020, the Vulture Conservation Foundation reported the mysterious deaths of 648 vultures.

The numbers increased substantially, causing the grave concern amongst conservationists.

Experts have warned that these deaths could signal a catastrophic blow for the conservation of several vulture species that are already at severe risk of extinction.

The VCF initially suspected poisoning, which is reportedly a common problem in the region.

But, poisoning incidents are usually concentrated within one specific area, and the dead vultures were reported throughout the region, which led to many questions.

At the time of writing this article, experts with the Vulture Conservation Foundation were unsure what led to the deaths of the animals.

They cannot say whether this event is due to extreme weather or disease.

The dead vultures were found in different regions of the country.

Around 300 to 600 dead vultures were found in Bafata, 400 to 483 in Gabum, 40 to 96 in Bambadinca, and 23 in Quebo.

The corpses, which were found in groups, were mostly discovered in the outskirts of towns, with some located further away in fields.

The Hooded Vulture, which is critically endangered, is the type of vulture that has been affected by this mass death.

Due to factors such as traditional medicine, habitat loss, trade, hunting, and degradation are the main causes that have made animals critically endangered.

In a statement that was released by the Vulture Conservation Foundation, they said, “The mortality is higher than reported last time: at least 1,000 vultures killed. Until the middle of last week, only one bird had been sampled – one that had been recovered dying. All the other dead vultures picked up by the early teams had been incinerated.”

They added, “One set of samples is definitely not enough. It is possible that these samples may have deteriorated, and there is always the risk of contamination, so the VCF asked several stakeholders to try to collect and freeze several bodies of dead vultures, even decomposing ones.”

They continued, “It is absolutely essential that there is enough biological material to run analysis if we even hope to find what is killing those vultures.”

Vulture species in Africa have declined dramatically in recent years.

As of now, 3 species are listed in the endangered list and 4 are listed in the Critically Endangered list in Africa.