Joyce's reference to a comment to State-Journal's article re swarms of vultures
had me look again and this is a terrific post on the subject:
Comment by:Michael Harman•3 hours agoAs a master falconer, raptor educator and
one of only a very few people to have legally owned a vulture, i have studied
these two species extensively. Black vultures will gather at a calving, seeking
the remains of the birthing process. This includes any stillborn calves. I have
yet to see or see any evidence of the vultures in the act of killing a newborn
calf.
What i believe we are seeing are misinterpretations. A vulture cannot so much
as lift a mouse off the ground in its talons. They have no strength of grip.
They can bite and drag, carry small light pieces a short distance only. The
weight to lift ratio of their wings limits the amount of carrion they can get
off the ground with. Wholesale killing of vultures has.... and will... result
in radical increases in diseases that affect not only livestock, but humans,
too. This very thing is happening in south africa now. Tens of thousands of
vultures have been poisoned by farmers. The resulting increase in disease is
reaching epidemic proportions.Vultures serve a vital role in our ecological
balance. Cows do not. If you raise goldfish in a shark tank, dont whine about
the loss of goldfish. The vultures have always been here. Raising cattle with
predatory species in the area is a given risk. Vultures, however, are not
predatory. They are scavengers by design. Defensive? Yes. Black vultures are
extremely aggressive, but only in defending a meal or their young. Unlike the
more timid cathartes aura turkey vulture, a coragyps atrata black headed
vulture wont back down, not even as downy chicks.Vultures are highly social
creatures who prefer meals at a certain texture, not putrid. They prefer to be
clean. Highly intelligent and very capable puzzle solvers. In captivity show a
personality not unlike that of a puppy. Playful, faithful, curious, liking to
be cuddled. One truly amazing
creature.http://www.state-journal.com/2017/06/03/swarms-of-vultures-causing-problems/
Ceci & friends atThe Far Side Farm
From: Joyce Fry <joycefry1@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: BIRDKY Freelists <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2017 10:35 AM
Subject: [birdky] Re: Article re "swarms of vultures" in Frankfort newspaper
I think John Doe had a good point. There is roadkill all over Franklin Co.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 4, 2017, at 8:04 AM, Ce Ci (Redacted sender "thefarsidefarm" for DMARC)
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I thought there were several alarming statements made in this article - not
alarming about the vultures themselves (or buzzards, as we call them around my
place), but I think this will alarm more of the public and encourage more
individuals to kill more vultures.
fyi -
http://www.state-journal.com/2017/06/03/swarms-of-vultures-causing-problems/
Ceci & friends atThe Far Side Farm
