September 6th was International Vulture Day! On this day we celebrate the two species local to our area: the black vulture and the turkey vulture. These incredible birds are critical in helping decrease the amount of rot and disease in nature. Vultures are obligate carnivores and scavengers. This means they require meat as a key component of their diet; that diet is largely made up of carrion.
Unfortunately, vultures face serious dangers as they search for food. Food litter that people discard along roadsides draws smaller animals into traffic, where many are struck by vehicles. Vultures are attracted to the deceased animals, where they are also at risk of injury from vehicle strikes.
Another danger vultures face comes from lead poisoning, which can happen when vultures feed on carcasses containing fragments of lead ammunition. This toxin causes suffering and death not just in vultures, but in eagles and hawks too.
Here at Owl Moon, we treat many vultures each year for these preventable injuries. Every bird released is a victory, but the best medicine is prevention.
Here’s how you can do your part to help protect our vital avian clean-up crews:
- Dispose of food scraps properly.
- Choose non-lead ammunition.
Share the importance of vultures with others: Vultures are essential guardians of our environment. Let’s give them the respect, space, and the protection they need to keep our environment clean and safe.
