African vultures have always been known to fly long distances. They do so by taking advantage of their scavenging nature, which allows them to find food in the most disparate places.
This natural advantage however may now be turning against them. Carrion in developed and agricultural land has now been found to be heavily contaminated.
Researchers have followed six African White-backed vultures for several months through gps collars and have developed a study from the data collected from the collars.
The vultures have been found to have a much wider range than previously thought, traveling up to 120 miles per day, even crossing state borders. In doing so they have shown a predilection for agricultural lands, since state parks can be challenging due to the presence of their natural predators.
But the carrion in the cultured lands are often full of chemicals either given to the beasts in farming pens, or are contaminated with poison from people who deliberately try to poison predators. The vultures then become hapless victims of the poisoned trap set for other animals or become victims to the toxicity of medicines used in the raising of farm animals.
Another disturbing trend is the use of carrion set up by tour guides to attract the birds for tourist viewing, according to the co-author of the study, Stephen Willis, of Durham University.
Although this promotes an aberration of the errant behavior of the birds, this gave an idea to the researchers on the possibility of creating vulture 'restaurants' that would lure the birds from more dangerous sites in the future, where they would be exposed to toxins.
The White-backed vulture is now an endangered species in Africa, and numbers are steadily declining, prompting researchers to think of new methods to educate farmers in finding solutions to the problem
BHP News Staff
Source: France 24 1.31.13
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