Sue and I visited the Bird of prey Centre at Gauntlett near Knutsford in Cheshire during our recent holiday. The centre focuses on the conservation of vultures across the world, but also has an impressive collection of Owls and Eagles. We attended 3 flying displays during which the plight of the world’s vultures was highlighted.
In the Indian sub-continent, vultures have been poisoned by the drugs given to cattle and although the use of these drugs is now banned it may take a long time for the numbers to recover. In Africa, the vultures are being poisoned by Ivory poachers because the vultures give away the position of the poacher’s activities to the authorities. It was pointed out that vultures are the world’s natural garbage removal and without them, carcasses will just lie and rot and this will likely lead to an increase in diseases.
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