Vultures Have an Image Problem

Seen as ugly and associated with death, vultures are among the world's least loved animals, reports the AP. But conservationists in Africa are trying to change that, launching an effort to save the endangered birds. A recent report by BirdLife International estimated that vultures are worth $1.8 billion a year to certain ecosystems in southern Africa, which might surprise anyone not familiar with the clean-up, pest control, and anti-poaching work performed by one of the most efficient scavengers on the planet. "They are not up there on the pretty scale. And they are not popular. But we know they are very useful," says Fadzai Matsvimbo, an extinction prevention coordinator at BirdLife International.

Six of the 11 species found in Africa are listed as endangered or critically endangered. The report focused on research in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and shows how a wake of vultures—the term for a group of feeding vultures—can strip a decomposing carcass in hours, cleaning up ecosystems and reducing the spread of disease and the presence of rats and feral dogs. Vultures also have extremely strong stomach acid, don't get food poisoning, and are able to consume and neutralize anthrax, botulism, and other bacteria and toxins that would kill other animals, removing deadly threats from the environment. Vultures are nature's "best sanitation services," says Matsvimbo.

Conservationists have said the drastic loss of vultures in India over 30 years led to a health crisis. A study published last year said half a million people died in India because of the spread of bacteria and infections in the absence of vultures. Matsvimbo says vultures in Africa are used as "sentinels" because they can lead rangers to where poachers might be active. They have even proven useful in helping farmers locate dead or injured livestock.

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Vultures are increasingly being killed for belief-based reasons, says Kerri Wolter, CEO of the Vulpro vulture rehabilitation center in South Africa. She said because vultures have such outstanding eyesight and instincts when it comes to finding a dead animal they are viewed by some as being clairvoyant. Their body parts, and especially their head, are used in potions or as charms to predict the future. "Our work is to change the mindsets of people," Wolter says. "For them to see vultures and think, wow that is amazing." (More vulture stories.)