Vultures are sort of the pariahs of the bird world. They’re creepy looking, seeing them circle overhead is menacing, and they eat dead things. They’re not exactly warm and cuddly. But despite their unpleasant appearance, the Vulture is an important part of the ecosystem, and right now, they’re under threat of extinction.
The problem
The main threat to vultures is poison carrion. This can come in many forms, including lead bullets left in animals or medications given to cattle. In Africa, poachers sometimes intentionally poison carcasses to keep vultures from giving away the secret locations in which they’ve hidden animals they’ve illegally killed.
Vultures actually provide a valuable service, cleaning up the remains of animals who have died or been killed in unconventional manners. They eat almost anything and can pick a carcass clean in as quickly as one hour. This curtails the spread of disease from rotting animals.
The effect
With vultures under threat of extinction, this brings a secondary level of carrion eaters into play. Hyenas would be an example of a secondary scavenger. They not only eat the leftovers from the kills of other predators, but they are skilled hunters themselves. With a depletion in the vulture population, it could lead to a corresponding increase in scavengers like hyenas and an eventual imbalance in the food chain.
Conservation efforts are already underway in North America and India, but Africa remains behind the curve. Without measures put into place to protect the vulture, there could be a boom in population in animals like rats and wild dogs, as a result the rabies population will increase. Africa already suffers from the highest per capita rate of rabies in the world.
Even though they aren’t the prettiest of birds, vultures have their place in the food chain. The loss of their valuable clean up services could lead to some messy situations.
Related articles: Iconic Keystone Species Headed for Extinction or Most Endangered: 5 Wild Cat Species on the Brink
Featured Image from Casey Allen/Unsplash
