MAGADI, Kenya. It's not easy to be a vulture. The animals have been long disliked for their looks. They
aren't the least bit cute. They also eat dead animals.
Now, many vulture species are under threat. In Africa,
leaders are trying to convince people that these birds
deserve a little love.
Without help, vulture species on the continent could
disappear. There are 11 species of vulture. The
population of 7 of those species went way down in the
past 50 years. In 2015, 6 of them were listed as
Photo credit and all related Images:
critically endangered.
Shiv Kaplla/The Kenya Bird of Prey
Trust via AP
Vultures face several threats. The birds are hunted in
This is a Rüppel's vulture, one of
cultures where their body parts are used to make
Africa's vultures that could die out.
traditional medicine. Vultures also die from eating
Vultures are being hunted and are
polson. It's put out to kill mammals that attack livestock. crashing into electric polos.
And in some parts of the world, vultures fly into electric
poles.
It may not seem like such a big deal that vultures are dying. Unlike the lion and the elephant, the
vulture isn't nice to look at. In fact, many say that the vulture is ugly. They have dark black eyes
and places on their bodies with no feathers. There is also the idea that vultures are disgusting.
After all, they're scavengers. This means that they find and eat dead animals.
Nevertheless, vultures play an important role in their ecosystems. They help clear away animal
remains. This keeps the environment clean. It lowers the chance of disease. For this reason,
conservationists say that preserving vultures is necessary. Still, they must convince the public to
care about these animals.
You have to think of a good way to sell [these] species that people think are ugly," said Masumi
Gudka. Gudka works for BirdLife International. He helps save the vultures.
On a day in 2015, Gudka visited a 1.2-mile-wide (2-kilometer-wide) cliff in Kenya. It's a refuge for
the critically endangered Rüppell's species of vulture. About 200 Ruppell's vultures were in the
sky or in the cliff. Scientists say it's possible that the species has been there for centuries. The
vultures have been seen flying more than 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) above the ground. On the
day of Gudka's visit, many birds were circling high overhead.