Poachers had poisoned the elephant with pesticides, actually intended for agriculture, in order to sell parts of the animal on the illegal market.
When the vultures attacked the carcass, they ingested the poison. In addition to over 100 dead vultures, another 83 have been rescued from the site after what is referred to as one of the worst mass poisonings so far.
The scavenging birds make up an important part of the ecosystem in the national park in northern South Africa, since they "clean up". But many species of vultures are endangered in Africa, due to poisoning and other threats.
"This horrific event is part of a larger crisis spreading across southern Africa: the rampant use of poison in poaching", says the authority for national parks in South Africa in a statement.
