Local champion of wildlife welfare and conservation, ‘Vulture Whisperer’ Kerri Wolter, has been nominated for the ‘Nobel Prize’ of animal conservation!
Global (13 September 2024) — When Kerri Wolter was grinding life out in the corporate world, she had no idea that one day she’d become a champion of vultures, let alone be up for the ‘Nobel Prize’ of animal conservation.
“I was desperate to find my soul that had been lost in an air-conditioned office,” she reflects of her old life.
“I applied for a position as manager of a vulture conservation group when the opportunity arose, not knowing anything about any bird species, and nothing could be further from my mind than vultures at the time.”
Kerri ended up getting the role. In no time, she found herself desperate to save the species that most don’t know enough about and even less tend to care about.
“I found myself looking down at a bundle of feathers and an ET look-a-like bird that resembled the prehistoric age of dinosaurs. My heart melted. I finally understood the magnificence and fragility of the species. My task, at that exact moment, was as clear as daylight…It was my calling. I needed to make people understand their beauty, and their importance in our world of green and destruction; I was to become what I have now been nicknamed—“The Vulture Whisperer”.
That was decades ago. Since then, Kerri has followed her calling proudly and firmly, standing strong as a force behind vulture conservation, oftentimes against the odds.
Today, Kerri is the CEO of VulPro—the only vulture conservation organisation of its kind, founded by the Vulture Whisperer herself.
Together with her team, VulPro has achieved some incredible things in its time, including massive relocation missions that are helping to secure the future of wild vulture populations (the largest ever, at that), imperative rehabilitation work for the species, population monitoring, research and so much more.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Kerri has been announced as one of the nominees for the 2025 Indianapolis Prize, AKA the ‘Nobel Prize’ of animal conservation!
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Here, she’s up against 44 conservations from around the world, honoured for her decades-long dedication to saving vultures from the ‘brink of extinction’, as VulPo shares.
“This nomination reflects Kerri’s relentless passion, unwavering determination, and deep love for these often-misunderstood birds. It also powerfully acknowledges the collective efforts our entire team, partners, volunteers and supporters who believe in this vital mission,” praise VulPro.
South Africa couldn’t be more proud of the local Vulture Whisperer, and we have no doubt that Kerri’s story has helped inspire new generations of wildlife heroes—especially those desperate to leave their desks to follow their greater callings.
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