In Upper Marlboro, a homeowner faced a dilemma: how to accommodate both her dog and a new baby vulture in her backyard. Luckily, she contacted us for help and Owl Moon volunteer Nancy McDonald came up with a clever solution. After finding where the baby black vulture was hiding and securing her, Nancy covered the sides of an unused dog kennel on the property with tarp. This created a visual barrier between the dog in the yard and the interior of the kennel. The top was left open to allow flight in and out, and the vulture baby was gently placed in the new nest safe inside the kennel.
This kennel is now a sanctuary where the baby vulture can thrive without the resident dog causing distress (or vice versa). The vulture's parents watched nearby and will feed the baby behind the kennel walls until she is ready to fly out and join them. With a little creativity and compassion, we can find solutions that benefit birds of prey, humans, and dogs alike!
