Not less than 150 endangered vultures in South Africa and Botswana have been poisoned to death, according to conservationists who warned that the mass killings could push the birds closer to extinction faster.

A conservation group, Vulpro which raised the alarm on Friday, said the vultures were poisoned in separate incidents.

The group said more than 50 white-backed vultures were found dead in Botswana’s northern Chobe district on Friday, while about 100 others were discovered in South Africa’s Kruger National Park the same day.

“The repercussions of these poisonings are huge. It’s breeding season so their chicks will not survive and breeding pairs have been lost for good,” the organisation wrote in a tweet.

“Vulture populations cannot withstand these losses and the threat of extinction creeps ever closer,” it wrote in another tweet.

We unfortunately end this week with some exceptionally sad news. Over the last 2 days, 150 vultures have been poisoned in two separate incidents (1 in Kruger National Park and the other Chobe Botswana). These killings were aimed at targeting vultures for muti. pic.twitter.com/4YIYOKqZQh

— VulPro (@WeLoveVultures) August 12, 2022

Vulpro’s founder, Kerri Wolter, who expressed worries over the attacks, said in both cases, the birds died after feeding from the carcass of a buffalo, which appeared to have been laced with poison.

Park officials in South Africa said they were investigating the incident, adding some of the carcasses appeared to have been harvested for their body parts.

According to a wildlife group in South Africa, vulture poisoning is very common in the southern African region as the heads and other vital parts are used in preparing traditional medicine.

Report from the Democratic Republic of Congo says over 250 inmates of the over 800 who escaped from a prison in the jailbreak on Wednesday have been captured.

The prison authority on Thursday presented 166 of the inmates in addition to the 86 other fugitives who had earlier been captured with the help of the public.

Man hunt is still on for remaining inmates.

Military sources confirmed on Wednesday that the prison break happened in eastern region the country.

Spokesman of the army in Beni, Captain Antony Mualushayi, said “a group of unidentified Mayi-Mayi attacked the central prison of Kakwangura in the town of Butembo. Two policemen on guard duty were killed.”

According to the United Nations, more than 100 armed groups and local militias operate in eastern DRC.

IS affiliated group, ADF has admitted it was behind the attack as suggested earlier by the army.