Ten Cape vultures were spotted feeding on a cheetah kill in the Samara Private Game Reserve in Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape.
The birds are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered, with fewer than 10 000 remaining worldwide.
Sarah Tompkins, a conservationist at Samara, said the reserve was excited to see that ongoing conservation efforts at Samara and across Southern Africa had yielded encouraging results. “The return of Cape vultures to this land is an important indicator that the local ecosystem is being repaired.”
Samara, a 28 000-hectare restoration project, was established in 1997. Eleven overgrazed livestock farms were purchased, internal fencing was torn down and the land was allowed to rest. Over the years, indigenous wildlife was slowly reintroduced.
