Skip to main content

Vultures

 


I LOVE this photo. The silhouette of vultures perched on a dead tree at sunset is eerie and dramatic. I like dramatic anything, so I find these creatures fascinating. 

 

I imagine these vultures waiting in the twilight for the wail of a captured impala as a pack of African wild dogs serves the antelope up for dinner. Or, perhaps they are listening to a trio of lionesses taking down a baby giraffe. The sound can never be unheard, but hearing the growls and pitiful cries is like a dinner bell for the birds. Why? Because raptors are scavengers that eat dead animals, whatever is left when the dogs or the lions are sated becomes a delicious and nutritious meal. Sounds disgusting, right?

 

But know, there is nothing gratuitous about the merciless events that take place in the animal world. It's survival.

 

Vultures are vital to the ecosystem. According to National Geographic, "They remove bacteria and other poisons in the environment quickly, consuming carcasses before they decay. Additionally, their stomachs contain a powerful acid that destroys many of the harmful substances found in dead animals."  

 

They are the clean-up team that's called in after a killing! Leave no trace! 

 

Sadly, vultures in Southern Africa are endangered. Circling high above a kill alerts the anti-poaching teams that something has died. Sometimes the killers are poachers. Not wanting to be caught, poachers poison the carcasses of dead animals so the vultures will eat the carrion and die. In one case, 500 vultures fed on one poisoned elephant carcass, all perished in agony. 

 

I've seen a couple of kills in the bush, and it's awful to witness. But the careless killing of species for their body parts or because they interfered with a crime is horrific. This senseless massacre scares me because ". . .without vultures, reeking carcasses would likely linger longer, insect populations would boom, and diseases would spread – to people, livestock, and other wild animals". 

 

Sounds apocalyptic!

 

Thanks again to National Geographic for helping me to better understand the bush!

 

#personalessays #poachersbegone #endangeredvultures #memoir #writing #womenwritersoverfifty #nationalgeographic #insectapocolypse #ilovethebush

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ellie Love

  This photo is Africa! A breeding herd of female Elephants hanging around a river, bathing, frolicking, and relaxing, is an iconic scene that I could watch for hours. Never an animal to linger anywhere for too long, Ndlovus (Zulu) stealthily roam the veld, eating hundreds of pounds of food a day. Always on the move, an elephant can travel up to fifty miles a day, occasionally stopping by water to drink and cool themselves or perhaps to wait until a female gives birth. Sometimes the entire family unit circles around a female delivering a new calf to the herd, protecting her from all sides.  The matriarch, sometimes the oldest female, rules in an elephant community. She must have wisdom, have a proven record of leadership, protect her herd from all dangers, teach the young about proper elephant behavior, and have the experience and confidence to guide her herd through the dangerous life in the bush.  These powerful descendants of the wooly mammoth are also quite dangerous....
Post a Comment
Read more

A Baboon Family

  A Baboon Family This baboon family makes me happy. The setting is peaceful, all four calmly sitting on a rock, at rest. Except for the baby looking directly at our game vehicle with curiosity, the other three's eyes gazing elsewhere.  Despite their sharp as daggers canine teeth, nut-crushing jaws, naughty opportunistic foraging of camper's food, and a hierarchy of dominating male bullies, baboons can be quiet and peaceful, going about their daily business in a well-defined social order.  These old-world monkeys thrive in friend and family units; females form strong bonds to raise and protect the kids, forage for food, and stay loyal to the troop for their entire lives. Like human families, they comfort each other, play, and squabble but ultimately come together for the good of the community and protection from predators - for the most part. Yes, there's a bit of infanticide by the males, beating females for the heck of it, violently tossing little ones to the side when ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Esther Mahlangu - Ndebele Artist

  This beautiful woman is 92-years-old and lives in a small Ndebele village in Mpumalanga. Esther Mahlangu is an Outsider Artist, self-taught from the age of nine, who has achieved great success with her bold, colorful art reflecting traditional Ndebele culture. It’s not clear, but it seems she never went to school and can only write her name on her artwork. However, she has two honorary doctorates for her contributions to the art world. Her success was serendipitous. In 1986, researchers from France were roaming around looking for traditional art forms. One road led them to the artist’s village, where they became enthralled by Mahlangu’s uniquely painted houses. Right time, right road!  They invited her to create murals for an international contemporary art exhibition at the Magiciens de la Terre in France. Her obscurity was soon over and she quickly became a phenomenon in the Pan-African art world. Her resume is awe-inspiring. Look her up, here’s one link - https://www.sahi...
Post a Comment
Read more