Vultures.
Often described as "the undertakers of the natural world",
they're seen as unhygienic and even a bit scary.
They certainly aren't like other types of bird.
They’re known for their size, robust immune system and strong stomach,
all of which allow their unusual diet of carrion.
But while bacteria ridden flesh isn't a problem,
there's one thing they can't fight off:
manmade poisons.
A scavenger is commonly defined as:
Any animal that feeds on decaying organic matter.
Various animals are classed as scavengers.
Birds such as vultures, crows and seagulls.
Mammals like hyenas, coyotes, raccoons and foxes.
Sea creatures including eels, crabs and lobsters
and insects like cockroaches and blowflies.
Many of them, like hyenas, will also hunt when given the chance.
And likewise, some predators, such as lions and wolves
engage in scavenging behavior if no other food is available.
However, this is usually a last resort.
Most animals require essential nutrients from specific sources
and simply can't be that flexible in their diets.
A scavenger, on the other hand, is used to eating a variety of foods.
In urban environments particularly, this can literally include refuse.
Scavengers play a vital role in the food web.
By eating dead or rotting organic matter,
they're effectively cleaning up the ecosystem.
This doesn't just make the environment look nicer.
As they eat, scavengers get rid of bacteria contained within carcasses,
which helps prevent the spread of diseases.
Vultures are especially good at this.
Their strong stomach acid kills off toxic bacteria, like anthrax and botulism.
Thanks to their ability to fly high
and spot dead animals over long distances,
they're usually the dominant scavengers in an ecosystem.
In Africa, vultures clear up to 70% of all carrion.
But across the world, vulture populations are under threat.
Of the 23 species on the planet,
three are endangered and further nine are critically endangered.
One of these, the California condor, is found in North America.
The rest are so-called Old World vultures,
found across Africa and Eurasia.
In fact, compared to all birds worldwide,
Old World vultures are declining at an alarming rate.
But why?
One of the main reasons is:
they're being poisoned.
In the 1990s in South Asia,
an estimated 90% of the vulture population
was wiped out by the medication Diclofenac.
The dead cattle they've been feeding on had been given the medicine,
which is highly toxic to vultures.
Across Africa, but especially in the south and east,
vultures are also dying in large numbers.
Official data suggests that over 16.000 have been poisoned since the 1960s.
Sometimes it's accidental.
This Andean condor is thought to have been poisoned
by drugs given to cattle.
Its condition is fragile.
Other farmers or herders often poison dead livestock
to keep away dangerous predators such as lions.
But other times it's deliberate.
Poachers routinely poison their kills
to prevent vultures flocking in, giving away their position.
In 2013, 500 vultures died in Namibia
after feeding on an elephant carcass poisoned by poachers.
As a result of all this,
the seven most endangered vultures in Africa,
plus the bearded vulture, which is near threatened,
have declined by around 62% in the last 30 years.
The decimated numbers are exacerbated
by the fact that vultures lay eggs so rarely,
just one or two a year.
With so few offspring, restoring the population is even more difficult.
But surely there are enough other scavengers
to take over vultures' position in the food web?
Well, yes, there are – but that's exactly where one of the problems lies.
Another vital role played by vultures
is to indirectly control other scavenger populations
by reducing the amount of food available.
And as we saw earlier:
some of these scavengers are also predators like hyenas or lions,
which can threaten humans and livestock.
Many of them also spread diseases
as only a few species can break down toxins as effectively as vultures can.
The number of human rabies cases in India rose dramatically
when the vulture population declined,
thanks to feral dogs that took over scavenging duties
and spread the disease.
Vultures don't just remove toxic bacteria from the ecosystem,
but they are also very clean creatures.
Their bald heads prevent rotting flesh from sticking to their feathers
and falling off elsewhere.
They also urinate on their legs to cool down and clean off bacteria.
By flying long distances, they can spread nutrients far and wide.
Recently, one young vulture was recorded flying nearly 1800 km
in just three months.
In fact, vultures are so crucial to ecosystems
that they are known as keystone species.
Poisoning isn't the only thing that's killing vultures in Africa and Eurasia.
Windmills and power lines cause fatal accidents
because vultures tend to look sideways rather than straight ahead.
The trade in vulture meat, especially heads and feet,
which are used in traditional medicine, also contributes to the decline.
The problem is:
people don't really understand the true value of vultures.
One survey found that 75% of responders think of them as "dirty undertakers".
On the ground, conservation efforts are raising awareness
and trying to change vultures' image.
As a result, some regions, like Kenya's Masai Mara,
have seen poisoning incidents decrease by around 50% since 2018.
There are also global initiatives like International Vulture Awareness Day,
which raises awareness among people
who wouldn't normally have anything to do with these birds.
Other efforts to protect vultures include the creation of safe zones
and captive breeding programs to release birds back into the wild.
And across Africa, Europe and Asia,
a Multi-Species Action Plan is aiming to get Old World vulture populations
back up to acceptable levels by 2029.
It provides guidance to more than 100 different regions
on creating location- and species-specific conservation plans
including some of the strategies just described.
So, work is happening.
But numbers are still declining and there's a long way to go.
They might have an image problem,
but vultures are unique birds that play a vital part in the food web.
They eat carrion no other animal on the planet can or wants to
and contribute to a safer environment.
If we want to keep our planet healthy,
it's vital that we save them.
You can help change their image right now
by remembering the next International Vulture Awareness Day.
This year, it's on Saturday, September 4th.
Help us spread the word about more conservation topics like this
by signing up to our channel.
It really does help get these issues seen and talked about.
Thank you so much and see you next time!