I read in the NY Times that in India it's not only painkillers used in livestock but chemo drugs used in people. In Mumbai (Bombay) where the Parsees (Zoroastrians)--a small but very successful religious group-- have lived for hundreds of years and have their Towers of Silence where they perform "sky burials" by placing bodies on the tower to be consumed by vultures, that there are no longer enough vultures to continue this ancient practice. The drugs used to help save people are killing the vultures, according to the article. Where I live in N.C. I love to watch the Turkey Vultures (the local people call them buzzards) lazily circling above in the sky. They are as beautiful to watch as any bird. Our lack of interest and respect for all creatures is definitely going to come back to bite us. (rabies in India?) Pun intended.
3
The article briefly mentions the important role of eliminating highly pathogenic organisms from the environment - the vultures' highly acidic digestive juices protect them from being harmed by germs they ingest in putrid, decaying flesh. Someone may have mentioned this, but another mechanism of self protection from pathogens on the legs of mainly new world species, is the vulture's highly caustic urine (uric acid) that washes down their legs, serving to partially disinfect feet and legs, and helping with thermoregulation as well. By their removal of these environmental pathogens - botulinum, hog cholera and anthrax, to name a few, the vulture performs an invaluable and underappreciated role in our ecosystem.
11
Yet another example of Garrett Hardin's tragedy of the commons. One individual does what works for him (mostly; rarely, for her) and that action is multiplied and does great damage. We hope that the efforts to educate will be successful. We need the vultures.
3
Man - our own worst enemy.
5
Vulture populations in the United States, however, are doing well ... in my unscientific survey of the northern half of the US, accomplished by driving east to west then west to east across the states by different routes, over the summer, found vultures everywhere, in large numbers -- the most common bird seen in all states.
There are so many vultures in Florida that I have begun calling them, jokingly, "Florida's State Bird".
The surprise to me is that in our country, which is considered overdeveloped, that there is enough carrion to feed so many vultures.
The African tale of the vultures illustrates the usual effect of governmental interventions in natural systems -- unintended harm. In an attempt to handle the feral dog problem, they have nearly wiped out the vultures.
Unfortunately, this is the norm.
There are so many vultures in Florida that I have begun calling them, jokingly, "Florida's State Bird".
The surprise to me is that in our country, which is considered overdeveloped, that there is enough carrion to feed so many vultures.
The African tale of the vultures illustrates the usual effect of governmental interventions in natural systems -- unintended harm. In an attempt to handle the feral dog problem, they have nearly wiped out the vultures.
Unfortunately, this is the norm.
1
Poachers poisoning vultures is yet another reason to outlaw worldwide all ivory and rhino horn products, and to boycott all goods from China and any nation that still uses or manufacture products using ivory and rhino horn.
6
The world's dominant religions have long taought their followers that we were created to rule over the animals, land and sea. Unfortunately the ecosystems of the world are fragile, and it takes very few to do great harm. Yet collectively mankind isn't smart enough to see how their individual actions can have huge negative impact.
If there is no demand for ivory, there isn't any reason to poach the elephants- right? But I can assure you, if you ask someone who "owns" something made from ivory, they will tell you that their wee bit of demand didn't make a difference one way or another. They just cannot come to grips with the idea that their demand, along with all the other little bit of demand here and there, adds up to a big problem and that in the end they are the problem.
If there is no demand for ivory, there isn't any reason to poach the elephants- right? But I can assure you, if you ask someone who "owns" something made from ivory, they will tell you that their wee bit of demand didn't make a difference one way or another. They just cannot come to grips with the idea that their demand, along with all the other little bit of demand here and there, adds up to a big problem and that in the end they are the problem.
5
Good article and an issue that's finally getting the attention it deserves. A note to the author however. 500,000 wildebeest don't die each year in the ecosystem. That would be c. 40% of the population perishing a year. I don't know what the average annual mortality is (plenty are poached for game meat), but you're probably off by a factor of ten.
3
I lived in the Mojave Desert for a while a little north of Yucca Valley. Ever morning, I sat in the back of my cabin, drinking coffee and looking out over a broad valley. One morning, a huge flock of turkey vultures flew over, then another and another. I learned later that the valley was a migration flight-way for the birds. I remember that as I watched the vultures arc and soar, I felt hugely lucky. But my human joy isn't the point - the point is that my species is killing the vultures - and so much more.
4
Ecology is the branch of biology that studies the interrelationships among living things and their environment. A niche is the role that an organism plays in an environment. Vultures occupy the scavenger niche between predator and prey. Waste disposal, resource renewal and allocation are essential to healthy stable living systems. Scavengers tend to be despised. Vultures, hyenas, jackals, flies etc.? Who admires and aspires to be a garbage man?
3
Everyday, after having been bombarded with all of the bad news about our world, I am reminded of the famous quote from the Pogo comic strip: "We have met the enemy and he is us!"
1
A few years ago, we discovered that the awful smell in our back yard was from a dead deer. The local community association couldn't (wouldn't) help us remove it and we were wondering how best to approach the problem when three vultures appeared. Not even a small bone was left. I had never before appreciated them as much as I do now!
7
And yet Obama refuses to outlaw the shipment of ivory to the US. Please, Obama/congress act now! And make the punishment something more than a year in prison - make it 20 years minimum. If it doesn't hurt, it won't stop.
4
Humans are thee most greedy and despicable species on this earth as we Experiment and Poison the Earth and it's Lives for the benefit of WHAT ACTUALLY!!!!!!!!!!!
1
We are a single species causing 100% of the world's problems. Any good we do seems only as a reaction to the bad others of us do, and then best efforts seem to remedy just a small part of the problem. The one thing we do better than any other species in world history is kill. We are aces at killing. The world would be an Eden again without us.
5
It is pretty indicative when a dentist from the United States pays $54,000 to selfishly commit a violent act against nature, the earth is doomed.
Our principles have vanished and our descendants will have greed of their ancestors to thank. As the old song goes "when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"
Our principles have vanished and our descendants will have greed of their ancestors to thank. As the old song goes "when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"
4
I do not like living with knowing that there is an exstinction process going on right before my eyes. And it seems like we humans do not care, this is even sadder.
5
Important article. I wasn't aware that vultures are under threat. In my neck of the woods at least the turkey vulture population appears to be thriving.
We are constantly playing catch-up when it comes to maintaining balance in the environment. The root of the problem is our own numbers. The fact that we have the ability to feed seven billion doesn't mean that there ought to be that many of us putting pressure on other species (and on other things like clean water supplies, arable land, etc.)
We really need a gradual but steady decline in the human population to a more sustainable number. I would love to see a return to the number of people the world held in 1960, that is, three billion. (The moderate Green position calls for two billion; the extreme Green position is 100 million, total.)
Unfortunately, Africa is projected to witness a population boom over the next half-century. Worse, the continent really doesn't have the ability to sustain the increased numbers. Investment and help from outside will cushion things a bit, but African ecosystems seem to be very much in danger.
We are constantly playing catch-up when it comes to maintaining balance in the environment. The root of the problem is our own numbers. The fact that we have the ability to feed seven billion doesn't mean that there ought to be that many of us putting pressure on other species (and on other things like clean water supplies, arable land, etc.)
We really need a gradual but steady decline in the human population to a more sustainable number. I would love to see a return to the number of people the world held in 1960, that is, three billion. (The moderate Green position calls for two billion; the extreme Green position is 100 million, total.)
Unfortunately, Africa is projected to witness a population boom over the next half-century. Worse, the continent really doesn't have the ability to sustain the increased numbers. Investment and help from outside will cushion things a bit, but African ecosystems seem to be very much in danger.
8
Sadly, it is the very help that allows for the expansion. We need to stop sending supplies to Africa other than to support refugees. Africans must learn to sustain themselves. And if no one buys ivory, this killing stops.
2
I travel a lot of rural roads and often see turkey vultures attempting to eat road kill but interrupted by passing cars. I always stop, take clean plastic bags and put them on my hands, and drag the carcass well onto the grass as the side of the road so the vultures can eat in peace. They are funny looking big birds, awkward on the ground, but I have always admired their work ethic, they keep the country cleaner. Hate flies? Without the vultures stripping the carcasses, the blow flies lay their eggs in the dead animals and the fly population increases. Vultures are a better choice.
13
Is it not obvious that we are our own worst enemy? Intelligent, yet so incredibly stupid.
11
We are a foolish and selfish species!
7
How many times do we read about the important role of a declining animal species on the planet. A role the animal has evolved over millennia to perform.
What positive service do humans perform for their native habitat?
A tiny percentage of the human population works valiantly to preserve creatures large and small, investing time with little compensation, since humans assign wildlife no value. An app can be worth millions, but vultures?? If 95% of people are indifferent, or worse, only seeing value in wildlife for target practice...the situation is beyond grim. As far as wildlife is concerned, we are ISIS. Beheading, displaying stuffed heads, embellishing ourselves with the protective skin or feathers of another creature that was unique and probably increasingly rare. We cannot stand to see them wild, we must control them, and to control them we must kill them. We are ISIS at war with nature.
What positive service do humans perform for their native habitat?
A tiny percentage of the human population works valiantly to preserve creatures large and small, investing time with little compensation, since humans assign wildlife no value. An app can be worth millions, but vultures?? If 95% of people are indifferent, or worse, only seeing value in wildlife for target practice...the situation is beyond grim. As far as wildlife is concerned, we are ISIS. Beheading, displaying stuffed heads, embellishing ourselves with the protective skin or feathers of another creature that was unique and probably increasingly rare. We cannot stand to see them wild, we must control them, and to control them we must kill them. We are ISIS at war with nature.
5
Great, having exterminated most of the great predators (lions, tigers, leopards...) and large mammals (elephants, rhinos...), and despoiled large portions of the earth with fracking and pollution, we're now killing scavengers...
What a 'great' job by the human race!
What a 'great' job by the human race!
6
Before human beings are finished there will be nothing left but cockroaches and rats.
5
The planet will not survive the human infestation and we will wipe out all of the large species before we go. Just seeing the clearcut Columbia River Valley is enough to convince me all humans are vermin -me included.
6
Of course mankind is about the worst ever enemy for other animals.
3
We farm cattle. Wish we had vultures in the Adirondacks. We have met the enemy - and it is we humans. No matter where we look, we are our own worst enemy. What presidential candidate would dare to speak the truth about this?
Trump seems good at spouting off about everything else. Will he also take up saving the planet form those like him that are blind to its destruction?
We shall see.
Once upon a time there were Vulture Funds in Wall Street. If you would like to know why, send me an email...
Best,
Sandy Lewis
Trump seems good at spouting off about everything else. Will he also take up saving the planet form those like him that are blind to its destruction?
We shall see.
Once upon a time there were Vulture Funds in Wall Street. If you would like to know why, send me an email...
Best,
Sandy Lewis
4
What a shame. Animals with highly evolved senses that perform such a necessary function in nature, possibly gone in the evolutionary blink of an eye. The Sixth Extinction is marching along right under our noses, aided and abetted by humans for such ridiculous reasons.
4
In the late 1990s, the vulture population of the Indian sub-continent went from 40 million birds to just thousands within a matter of a few years. This was an unintended consequence of the use of the painkiller diclofenac, used for dairy animals.
A brilliant account of that near extinction by Susan McGrath is at http://snipurl.com/2a6bgnb
Sadly, something similar is happening in the African continent now.
A brilliant account of that near extinction by Susan McGrath is at http://snipurl.com/2a6bgnb
Sadly, something similar is happening in the African continent now.
3
By coincidence (not?), I was just wondering out loud to my family the other day where all the turkey vultures had gone. They've always been plentiful until quite recently.
I live next to a manmade lake where bald eagles nest. When I first moved here, I was creeped out by the vultures circling almost constantly. At a distance, the turkey vulture and the bald eagle can be mistaken for each other by the uninitiated, but once you get to know them you'll never miss the less common silhouette of an eagle.
What I didn't realize till this summer was that I'd grown fond of the vultures in all their unapologetic ugliness. I loved their circling: cycle of life and all that. One day when I was out walking with my dogs, it struck me that while I'd been busier the last few months and inattentive to nature, I hadn't seen vultures. I started watching for them, and they're far more infrequent. A deer carcass along our rural road lay for days unmolested, when in the past you'd be disturbing the vultures every time you drove by such significant roadkill.
I hope without much optimism that this isn't a sign, because something has just felt wrong with the wildlife all summer. The fox family moved on, or more ominously disappeared; I haven't see a single snake; the feral cats are eating all the chipmunks; the deer have dwindled after several exhibiting mysteriously injured right rear legs; no possum has wandered stupidly onto my deck; and the squirrels seem listless. Maybe I'm projecting?
I live next to a manmade lake where bald eagles nest. When I first moved here, I was creeped out by the vultures circling almost constantly. At a distance, the turkey vulture and the bald eagle can be mistaken for each other by the uninitiated, but once you get to know them you'll never miss the less common silhouette of an eagle.
What I didn't realize till this summer was that I'd grown fond of the vultures in all their unapologetic ugliness. I loved their circling: cycle of life and all that. One day when I was out walking with my dogs, it struck me that while I'd been busier the last few months and inattentive to nature, I hadn't seen vultures. I started watching for them, and they're far more infrequent. A deer carcass along our rural road lay for days unmolested, when in the past you'd be disturbing the vultures every time you drove by such significant roadkill.
I hope without much optimism that this isn't a sign, because something has just felt wrong with the wildlife all summer. The fox family moved on, or more ominously disappeared; I haven't see a single snake; the feral cats are eating all the chipmunks; the deer have dwindled after several exhibiting mysteriously injured right rear legs; no possum has wandered stupidly onto my deck; and the squirrels seem listless. Maybe I'm projecting?
7
Agricultural productivity is eroding the base of the food chain over much of the central US. Fields are now cultivated edge to edge; the little wild strips along fencerows etc. are disappearing. Efficient use of pesticides is destroying the insect populations on which birds feed; and efficient use of herbicides is detroying the weeds on which both insects and birds feed. (Monarch Butterflies are disappearing from the Central Flyway because milkweed is nearly eradicated.) These effects are beginning to manifest farther up the food chain. The irony of course is that all this is done to increase the food supply for one species...
1
M.C's younger daughter in Brooklyn, NY to Tim in Albion, CA.
I think we're all on the same page regarding this nightmare.
Tim, you mentioned the loss of milkweed, therefore the loss of monarch butterflies. What an unnerving coincidence. Less than a week ago, I was on a tour of the botanic garden here. The guide, a naturalist, told us that farmers consider milkweed a pest. I was stunned that a food source for something is lovely as a butterfly--of all living creatures--was thought a pest!
And now I hear about vultures disappearing. This is painful. I think Rachel Carson, Beatrix Potter, etc., are turning in their graves. I wonder what Jane Goodall would say.
To de Ruiter in South Central PA, kudos for doing your part. To MIMA in Heart NY, Think Critically in WI, and Mary in Atlanta: powerful words and you're all absolutely right. We earthlings need to be in this together or we won't BE at all.
BTW, I remember what Bambi's mother said in the film, after they ran for their lives and he asked her why they fled.
"Man was in the forest."
I think we're all on the same page regarding this nightmare.
Tim, you mentioned the loss of milkweed, therefore the loss of monarch butterflies. What an unnerving coincidence. Less than a week ago, I was on a tour of the botanic garden here. The guide, a naturalist, told us that farmers consider milkweed a pest. I was stunned that a food source for something is lovely as a butterfly--of all living creatures--was thought a pest!
And now I hear about vultures disappearing. This is painful. I think Rachel Carson, Beatrix Potter, etc., are turning in their graves. I wonder what Jane Goodall would say.
To de Ruiter in South Central PA, kudos for doing your part. To MIMA in Heart NY, Think Critically in WI, and Mary in Atlanta: powerful words and you're all absolutely right. We earthlings need to be in this together or we won't BE at all.
BTW, I remember what Bambi's mother said in the film, after they ran for their lives and he asked her why they fled.
"Man was in the forest."
3
Horse manure, Maybe they are just a little more particular. Animals of any kind know which carcasses to stay away from through smell.
The human element may come in where there are just not so many trees to hang around in.
Thus making vultures easy prey to say cheetahs and lions.
Disagree? Bring your comments.
The human element may come in where there are just not so many trees to hang around in.
Thus making vultures easy prey to say cheetahs and lions.
Disagree? Bring your comments.
I have been fortunate enough to have been on safaris in Africa, and I can assure you that in many places the disappearance of vultures is NOT because they are becoming easy prey to big cats or unable to find trees on which to perch. But there is plenty of poisoning - both intentional (by poachers) and accidental (e.g. antibiotics given to livestock), as the article points out.
3
Pure rubbish! If what you state were true, poisonous baits sold to control mice, rats, moles, etc. would not work. Further, birds of prey would not eat animals killed by poison, and we know that is not true.
3
Yes, I'm certain that millions of years of evolution trained vultures to detect and shun the merest whiff of substances that started showing up in their food only in recent years.
4
Yes, this is sad. Yes, this is because of human behavior. But, wow, it is not all because we humans are evil. Some humans are trying to get by, and this is not what we in the US experience as "getting by", it is a survivors version. So...some become poachers. Others use chemicals to protect their animals and crops.
No one woke up and said "I hope vultures go extinct today".
No one woke up and said "I hope vultures go extinct today".
2
Where I come from that is called "carelessness".... Not considering consequences of actions is always a detriment on this planet. A truck driver speeding who runs a car off the road because he was in a hurry doesn't plan to kill people either.
4
It is long past time to be mindful of the consequences of our actions. Suggesting that "just trying to get by" is enough to excuse what is detailed in this article is an ignorant expression of arrogance and selfishness. Shame on us.
2
We will be next if we keep matching down the same path of destruction!!
3
And it might give the wildlife populations we've decimated a chance to rebound.
4
Seems like there is no end to all the evil that humans do - to each other, to all other creatures around them, and to the ecosystem that sustains us (without which we can't exist).
18
I wish some group (perhaps the NYTimes could start it?) would start a campaign against poachers---publish and shame the individual poachers, the politicians who look the other way, the individuals who buy the products they poach, etc. publish what sentences poachers are give (or not) etc. There has got to be serious, constant action to save wildlife or the planet will soon be home only to rocks.
The lions... the rhinos... The tigers... now the vultures. This is just so depressing.
The lions... the rhinos... The tigers... now the vultures. This is just so depressing.
20
There are numerous charities one can donate to who's sole purpose is providing armed anti-poaching squads to protect rhinos, and elephants, etc. I donate to one who's main focus is gorillas. If you search the net you can find them. One thing that might put some people off this type of organization is that they are not concerned with bringing poachers to justice through the courts but they are very effective at ridding an area of poachers if get my drift. It is a tragic that vultures are in trouble. It will also be hard to raise awareness and funds because they are cuddly like polar bears or some other endangered animals. When I first moved to the US, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the vultures (we have a lot of turkey vultures in the South - none where I came from - I had only ever seen them in zoos before I moved here) but after watching them at work and photographing them, I grew to appreciate them and see a beauty and magnificent side to them. I hope they can recover worldwide. Thank you for showcasing the plight of one of natures less photogenic species.
3
This is not a poaching issue...they added that to fit their agenda...yhey knew for 6 years they were poisoning the vultures but waited 6 years to ban use of the drug...they add poaching so the sheeple dont get none the wiser...the ol watch my left hand while I steal your wallet with my right hand!...
1
One of the stories behind this story is likely that of the marketing of poisons in the rural developing world, and the marketing of painkillers for cattle too. We can all take a good guess Who Benefitted from the increasing use of these noxious substances: shareholders and owners of chemical firms in the West. Maybe this article could have named a few names….
24
Having been to Africa on safari a number of times, I still recall my impressions after my first trip: How utterly interdependent all species are in the ecosystems of the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, and the many other game reserves, both public and private. None of the animals could survive without all the others and, sadly, they are all endangered because of habitat destruction, poaching and other social and environmental problems. It is so tragic to think that we may be the last generation that will be able to see most of these mammals in their natural habitat, not in zoos.
29
Totally missing from this article is any mention of our American vultures. The Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture both have a conservation status of "least concern," meaning they're doing fine. The California Condor is also considered a vulture and is on the brink.
4
Remember, we are in the Sixth Great Extinction. You can say good-bye to just about every wild creature the size of a sparrow or herring and larger -- plus many smaller forms of life as well, including some kinds of plankton as we change the oceans (warming and acidification). But we will have many more billions of humans in exchange. Lots and lots of us.
10
"But we will have many more billions of humans in exchange."
Not for long - if we significantly damage (let alone destroy) the natural system that provides us with life sustaining food, potable water and clean air, we are doomed as a species. Some/many humans may survive - humans are as adaptable as weeds - but not in anywhere near today's numbers.
Not for long - if we significantly damage (let alone destroy) the natural system that provides us with life sustaining food, potable water and clean air, we are doomed as a species. Some/many humans may survive - humans are as adaptable as weeds - but not in anywhere near today's numbers.
3
Not mentioned in the article, vultures, including the North American condor, which became extinct in the wild in 1987 and has been reintroduced from remaining captured birds, are at risk of lead exposure when they feed on animals injured or killed by lead ammunition.
7
Another good sign that nature will soon get a break from the most useless and greedy Vulture on The Planet -Man!
Plague -water deprivation -famine -natural disasters and multiple diseases and enhanced conflict will reduce the world population to manageable levels.
The rich with an escape plan will thrive -hopefully chastened!
Plague -water deprivation -famine -natural disasters and multiple diseases and enhanced conflict will reduce the world population to manageable levels.
The rich with an escape plan will thrive -hopefully chastened!
3
Well and truly chastened in Monaco, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. God Help Us !
Humans will go down in history as the most idiotic beings that ever existed. We have potential as humans to protect all species and yet hapless, careless, and stupid at every turn.
30
In whose history?
4
Wondering if there is a connection between increasing availability of DDT for malaria control in these areas and the declining vulture population.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/lifelines/2014/02/ddts-pesky-propone...
It's happened before...
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/lifelines/2014/02/ddts-pesky-propone...
It's happened before...
4
I live in the Mississippi Delta, and we haven't had carrion eaters here for more than 40 years. As the top of the food chain, they were all killed off from agricultural chemicals in their food.
16
Coming it from the other way. How has it turned for the Mississippi Delta over the last 40 years? Put some food on the table did it.
There is no evil side on this discussion. Just one side gets to comfortable in its position - there be the evil.
There is no evil side on this discussion. Just one side gets to comfortable in its position - there be the evil.
1
Sad beyond my words.
11
Just one more way humans are ruining the earth. But the earth will survive, and after a few million years without our pillaging it will be a good place for whatever species evolve from the insects and lower life forms that survive.
8
The twin threats to wild life must be stopped. One, the loss, of habitat and two, poaching.
People cannot complain about wild animals killing their livestock, or snatching their pets (as in Coyotes in North America), when they keep stealing land from the animals.
Poaching needs to be eradicated. It is time for the international community make it expensive for poachers. Long jail sentences, and co-ownership of wild life with the local populations, will help identify and capture these criminals.
Lastly we need a Gates Foundation level of private enterprise intervention to educate the local populations.
At this rate, where human lives are deemed so much more valuable than any animals, we will end up with some 10 billion humans, trillions of insects on land, microbes and jelly fish in the ocean. With nothing in between.
People cannot complain about wild animals killing their livestock, or snatching their pets (as in Coyotes in North America), when they keep stealing land from the animals.
Poaching needs to be eradicated. It is time for the international community make it expensive for poachers. Long jail sentences, and co-ownership of wild life with the local populations, will help identify and capture these criminals.
Lastly we need a Gates Foundation level of private enterprise intervention to educate the local populations.
At this rate, where human lives are deemed so much more valuable than any animals, we will end up with some 10 billion humans, trillions of insects on land, microbes and jelly fish in the ocean. With nothing in between.
32
No shortage of vultures in the American West.
With anger and despair I read this. Nothing will be done. Last night CNN covered in its entirety Donald Trump's hour long speech, which consisted of boorish low comedy, and the part of the audience seated behind him, seemingly so delighted by everything he said, probably doesn't have the first clue about these dreadful things that are really happening, these awful developments that are REALLY important. And CNN agrees--- we should all hear Trump's every word.
18
Vultures were killed off in Nigeria by something other than poachers. Sadly, no one seems to be paying attention.
4
Let us not be too quick to judge. Most people in Africa are desperately poor. Their immediate concern is just keeping themselves and their families alive. It is more than a little arrogant of us in wealthy Western countries to demand that they sacrifice their livelihoods, hence themselves and their families, for our more rarefied concerns. If we want the vultures, lions, elephants, etc., to survive, we need to find a way to help the people survive.
8
This is not an exchange that makes any sense. All of our (Planet Earth's species) survival is bound by the same limits, forces and influences. Stop thinking like you are entitled to your strip mall. Platitudes will not change the destructive nature of economic viability standing in for the natural world.
7
I never noticed vultures in the North East and wondered if they were killed off by people. They are pretty high profile in the south though. They are loosing their habit along with eagles, hawks and falcons like everywhere else. They do on occasion kill calves, but considering their occupation, generally are left alone. They can be seen congregating in large numbers mostly in spring and it's not a pretty sight. I wonder if they're waiting for me. Their silence can be deafening during these group moments except when one of them flaps it's wings which can make an erie sound.
There are two Texas's. Rural Texans want to keep fought against the Trans Texas Corridor. It would have brought a lot of growth. Now they are gearing up against high speed train service between Houston and Dallas. They just may win that one too.
There are two Texas's. Rural Texans want to keep fought against the Trans Texas Corridor. It would have brought a lot of growth. Now they are gearing up against high speed train service between Houston and Dallas. They just may win that one too.
1
Yes, Joe G., there are vultures in the Northeast. It's quite common to see them soaring. Also ravens, but one sees them far less often.
The north east is not typically a vultures' habitat ...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Turkeyvulturerange.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Turkeyvulturerange.jpg
I live on the last street in Charlotte, 11 miles from center city. I can identify three hawks that perch in the trees in my back yard. two weeks ago I was up at 3AM looking out the window and saw something flash by and bang into the screen on the back deck. It flew up to a tree branch. A flashlight revealed an owl. All night long you can hear the owls hooting around me. When they get closer to the house my Corgis howl like coyotes at the hooting. The yard is filled with squirrels. A high count one day was a simultaneous sighting of 23. There are at least a dozen squirrel nests in my trees. Occasionally I see a chipmunk. The cardinals and robins are all over as well as finches and three humming birds. Driving along the road it is common to see buzzards feeding on a carcass in a field or see them fly up from the middle of the road where a possum corpse lies. I found a nest of tiny Preying Mantises near the deck and occasionally see full grown females in green and brown.
Maybe people need to look a little harder to see all the wildlife around them and see what they are doing that makes them want to hide.
Maybe people need to look a little harder to see all the wildlife around them and see what they are doing that makes them want to hide.
1
we are losing vultures in the Midwest, too. Doubt it's poisons, but due to serious decline in bird, varmints and reptiles - there's little roadkill nowadays -
and I'd relate that to loss of insect populations in last 3 decades thanks to side effects of all the agricultural pesticides in use now . No insects = no base to the food chain = Silent Spring.
Rachel, turn over in your grave!!
and I'd relate that to loss of insect populations in last 3 decades thanks to side effects of all the agricultural pesticides in use now . No insects = no base to the food chain = Silent Spring.
Rachel, turn over in your grave!!
17
Another example of the noxious effect of human overpopulation which is destroying the wilderness. If African governments want to preserve their wildlife (and revenue streams) they should be more vigilant about excluding people from preserves and about educating their populations about the benefits of a rich ecosystem.
25
Westerners, almost completely detached from nature, are educated, wealthy and has access to health care. Westerners seldom die from infectious diseases; most western diseases are self-inflicted, like Type II diabetes. Still most westerners live to be 80 years of age.
Sub-Saharan Africans, many still a part of nature, are illiterate, poor and have little access to health care. Sub-Saharan Africans commonly die from treatable and preventable infectious diseases spread through untreated water and sewage. Self-inflicted conditions like Type II diabetes are rare. Most sub-Saharan Africans live to be 50 years of age.
QUESTION: What is the difference between most Westerners and most Sub-Saharan Africans in terms of their knowledge of how to protect the planet that supports all of us?
ANSWER: There is no difference between a Westerner and a Sub-Saharan African when it come to protecting the planet for future generations.
Sub-Saharan Africans, many still a part of nature, are illiterate, poor and have little access to health care. Sub-Saharan Africans commonly die from treatable and preventable infectious diseases spread through untreated water and sewage. Self-inflicted conditions like Type II diabetes are rare. Most sub-Saharan Africans live to be 50 years of age.
QUESTION: What is the difference between most Westerners and most Sub-Saharan Africans in terms of their knowledge of how to protect the planet that supports all of us?
ANSWER: There is no difference between a Westerner and a Sub-Saharan African when it come to protecting the planet for future generations.
7
Very sad.
Soon humans will have exterminated every animal larger than a squirrel or a goldfish or perhaps even a good-sized beetle--except for those we breed to eat or have as pets.
Our descendants may become accustomed to such a world, but I'm glad I'm old enough to die before it's a reality.
Soon humans will have exterminated every animal larger than a squirrel or a goldfish or perhaps even a good-sized beetle--except for those we breed to eat or have as pets.
Our descendants may become accustomed to such a world, but I'm glad I'm old enough to die before it's a reality.
28
Trust me, the squirrels are not safe either.
On a broader note, if anyone thinks that these human impacts on the animal kingdom do not have consequences, they are participating in the most foolish gamble in history.
Human beings have coexisted with with all other species for thousands of years, and until the last few hundred years, rarely had an impact of the magnitude that is reported seemingly daily in the world press.
I am honestly ashamed of our species. I am also quite afraid for the future.
On a broader note, if anyone thinks that these human impacts on the animal kingdom do not have consequences, they are participating in the most foolish gamble in history.
Human beings have coexisted with with all other species for thousands of years, and until the last few hundred years, rarely had an impact of the magnitude that is reported seemingly daily in the world press.
I am honestly ashamed of our species. I am also quite afraid for the future.
18
Our descendants? It seems we are wiping ourselves out too, and the earth will be better for it.
1
Poachers who poison carcasses should get extra jail time. There needs to be a world wide effort to protect vultures. I'd rather have vultures than wade through carcasses when there's nothing to eat remains. Vultures don't have to be pretty, they're useful.
15
I have no doubt that vultures have been poisoned by men, but I don't think that's what the headline means to imply. Why the unreconstructed use of "man"?
4
Perhaps man is best understood as mankind, not as men. We are all, unfortunately, standing by while this happens, both men and women. Furthermore, assuming that poachers are male is understandable, but I doubt that the use of diclofenac that has been so disastrous in Asia, is only by men.
Karissima - man, reconstructed or not, gives domestic animals diclofenac, a pain killer that helps the animals survive and get fat for MAN's use, and that pain killer destroys vultures' kidneys. In India, 90 percent of the vulture population died in 20 years, leading to an upsurge of rabies (read the article?) Poachers are poisoning vultures (did you read the article?) so they will not alert the authorities of the poachers' presence. Man, man, man.
1
The things humans destroy in quest of a better life are the very things that ensure any life at all.
48
Vultures, the overlooked bird that is a major contributor to the environment are also being killed by Industrial Wind Turbines, along with Eagles, migratory birds, and bats. When will we begin to wake up to the fact that all that is portrayed as "green" may not be so.
10
Please provide proof of your claim about wind turbines. Those turbine blades move so slowly that a bird is unlikely to run into one. In Denmark almost every field is lined with turbines and the brush is allowed to grow under them. This is major habitat for the game birds and small deer which are major crops in that country. I have marched through those fields after harvest when the hunting dog field trials are held. The area is thick with pheasants, grouse, etc., most of which end up in the local supermarket.
Clearly what needs to be done is open season on poachers. Pay a few hundred per poacher, let anyone interested in saving the planet hunt them, eliminate them all.
Next up, anyone who wantonly destroys the environment, in an industrial or other fashion, must be executed.
And so on in this fashion. Humans are far too numerous and our numbers must be reduced. Either we reduce our numbers intelligently, or nature will do it for us, far less intelligently and more destructively. People seem to be far too foolish to do anything about how we're destroying the planet though, so the only cold comfort I've got left is that whatever calamities befall humanity, we will have entirely deserved it. The destruction of our planet's environment is being done, this time, by us, and our collective guilt probably warrants a death sentence.
Here's hoping the raccoons or squirrels do a better job as the top of the food chain, someday.
Next up, anyone who wantonly destroys the environment, in an industrial or other fashion, must be executed.
And so on in this fashion. Humans are far too numerous and our numbers must be reduced. Either we reduce our numbers intelligently, or nature will do it for us, far less intelligently and more destructively. People seem to be far too foolish to do anything about how we're destroying the planet though, so the only cold comfort I've got left is that whatever calamities befall humanity, we will have entirely deserved it. The destruction of our planet's environment is being done, this time, by us, and our collective guilt probably warrants a death sentence.
Here's hoping the raccoons or squirrels do a better job as the top of the food chain, someday.
27
Seriously. Vultures just clean up messes; it takes a human to really cock one up. Let those who'd like to hunt, hunt each other; we don't need them around a functioning society.
It shouldn't still surprise me, but the idiocy of Mankind is supremely awe inspiring. If we would only expend just an iota of our destructive energy in a positive way, well, who knows what wonders we might actually accomplish. Instead, we slowly, methodically, kill our planet and selves in search of happiness through consumption. Likely, we're breeding our own predators, but are too absorbed in ourselves and scripted reality to realize. Most of us will never see it coming.
27
Well, that's what you get with Free Will, intelligence, and opposable thumbs but lacking a true moral compass or belief in anything greater than itself. What else were you expecting?
3
Poachers are at war with the environment. Maybe we need to be at war with the poachers.
42
You may be right, but the poachers are often driven by a level of desperation unknown in the West. I recommend the Africa Trilogy of books by Jakob Ejersbo as a window onto the reality of postcolonial existence in subsaharan Africa. Being afforded the perspective to understand environmental collapse and species devastation is a privilege in itself.
1
Hear Hear!
1
Bertrand,
Actually, while too many prey animals are killed for bush meat, many of the "big 5" animals - as well as high-demand species like pangolins - that are poached are killed by government officials, corrupt tour operators (think of the Cecil the lion story), and others with connections and power - not your typical idea of those surviving on grubs and scavenging.
In South Africa, some of the poachers who have been caught are white collar professionals (incl. lawyers, doctors) trying to make a quick buck. I believe it was in Mozambique that a major poacher was recently apprehended - and he is a government official. In Zimbabwe, the government is rounding up and selling dozens of young elephants to China.
Even when the poachers are caught, the punishment is rarely more than a slap in the wrist in most countries, especially relative to the crime.
Without dismissing the level of poverty that exists in many pockets of Africa, many poachers are driven more by greed than desperation. When rhino horn is worth more than gold in the black market due to East Asian demand, and the odds of getting caught and punished are low, poachers have every incentive to try to make a quick buck. As Padfoot said, we need to be at war with the poachers.
Actually, while too many prey animals are killed for bush meat, many of the "big 5" animals - as well as high-demand species like pangolins - that are poached are killed by government officials, corrupt tour operators (think of the Cecil the lion story), and others with connections and power - not your typical idea of those surviving on grubs and scavenging.
In South Africa, some of the poachers who have been caught are white collar professionals (incl. lawyers, doctors) trying to make a quick buck. I believe it was in Mozambique that a major poacher was recently apprehended - and he is a government official. In Zimbabwe, the government is rounding up and selling dozens of young elephants to China.
Even when the poachers are caught, the punishment is rarely more than a slap in the wrist in most countries, especially relative to the crime.
Without dismissing the level of poverty that exists in many pockets of Africa, many poachers are driven more by greed than desperation. When rhino horn is worth more than gold in the black market due to East Asian demand, and the odds of getting caught and punished are low, poachers have every incentive to try to make a quick buck. As Padfoot said, we need to be at war with the poachers.
3
Is there any sentient creature that humans won't destroy? Why hasn't the NYT published the reporting on humans as the ultimate super predator responsible for exponentially more death than any other creature. The British press did devote space to this research. We need these creatures like the others that are being wiped out by human beings.
34
Read Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. It won the Pulitzer Prize. Human beings are the driving force behind the mass extinction going on over the whole planet today. ,
40
A real shame. Vultures are too precious to be lost this way. One day in the future they will all be gone if something isn't done soon.
12