Vultures: Ugly Birds with a Beautiful Purpose
Ugly, Unsung, and Necessary
The vultures is nobody’s beauty queen, that’s for sure. It is a flinch-worthy, dead-eyed, ugly bird of nightmares.
But we truly need them because vultures play a pivotal role in the health of ecosystems around the world. Without the not-so-beautiful vulture, life would become a real nightmare.
Vultures are super important
The vulture is always associated with death and decay. And for good reason. It’s always eating dead and decaying animals.
Vultures are carnivorous scavengers. They are the feathered garbage disposers of the terra firma.
And yet, they are absolutely amazing birds.
A vulture’s digestive system can handle potentially harmful pathogens like cholera and anthrax with no problem. So when vultures eat dead flesh, they do the entire world a service by reducing the spread of disease that could potentially affect other animals and humans. On the continent of Africa alone, the birds are responsible for removing 70% of dead animal carcasses.
Unfortunately, vultures are in a critical battle for survival around the globe. Their numbers have plummeted. In Africa, habitat encroachments like electrified power lines threaten vultures because they might fly into them.
There then are the purposeful poisonings. Wildlife poachers leave carcasses which draw vultures and tip off law enforcement. And that’s exactly what poachers don’t want. So, they poison the carcasses which kills vultures. There are also farmers who unintentionally poison the birds when they leave out poisoned carcasses as bait for other large predators.
Also, some cultures value vulture body parts for medicinal uses. This adds more pressure on dwindling bird numbers.
However, there is a sliver of good news concerning vulture populations in some areas of the West. Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture populations are growing there.
Vultures in the Bible
The vulture is lumped in with other birds and animals that God made on the fifth day of Creation. Back during the blissful days of Eden, when there was no sin in the world, the vulture didn’t eat rotting meat. In fact, God commanded the vulture and all of the other birds to eat only plants.
It is because the world has fallen and sin has invaded it that vultures are relegated to the gross but vitally important role they play in the environmental health of the world.
All humans have the God-given responsibility to be good stewards of the earth and of the animals that live here. So, be aware of your surroundings when you drive. And if you spot some vultures in the middle of the road don’t try to run over them. Donate to organizations you think will help vultures. And educate yourself and others about the importance of these essential birds in our environments.
Here are a few cool facts about vultures
- Marvel comics has a Z-level Spiderman antagonist named after the bird.
- They have cast iron stomachs (almost). The extremely acidic stomach acid stops the spread of diseases. The low pH in a vulture’s stomach also aids in the quick digestion of rotten flesh.
- Vultures are often framed in a negative way in Scripture. They are associated with ritual uncleanliness and therefore are off-limits as food. They are also seen as a symbol of judgment.
- Vultures pee on their legs and feet. The highly acidic urine kills bacteria and parasites. This keeps the bird healthy and also contributes to keeping them cool in hot weather.
- The first Saturday in every September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day.
- Both the Philistine giant Goliath and the future king-to-be David threatened each other with post-death exposure to scavenger birds (which could have included vultures).
- Rizpah, King Saul’s concubine protected the bodies of her executed sons from wild animals and scavenger birds, which may have included vultures.
If you liked this article, try this one ‘Bird Box, Star Trek, and Spiritual Blindness’ and also this one ‘Six Women Who Committed Murder in the Bible.’ Or, you may find ‘Superheroes of Faith in the Bible’ interesting.
Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.
