Conservationists have warned that Africa's vulture species are sliding towards extinction. This follows the release of the latest assessment of birds of prey for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, carried out by BirdLife International, an IUCN Red List partner. Mark Anderson, chief executive officer for BirdLife South Africa says the main drop in African Vulture populations are thought to be indiscriminate poisonings, where the birds are drawn to poisoned baits, and the use of vulture body parts in traditional medicine, and deliberate targeting by poachers, as the presence of the species can alert authorities to illegally killed big game carcasses.