The most unloved, least understood bird

The most unloved, least understood bird

” A turkey vulture is a perfect creature. It is is neither predator or prey. It exists out the typical food
chain, beyond the kill or be killed laws of nature. although without death it would starve. On six-foot
wings it floats above our daily lives, waiting for the inevitable moment that will come to each of us, to
every living thing. Then the vulture transforms these deaths into life. It wastes nothing. It does not kill.
It is not a murdered , and it is not often murdered. The turkey vulture waits. Waits and wanders on its
great wing sails.” So begins Vulture: The private life of an Unloved Bird by Katie Fallon, the book club
book for July, 2022.
Prior to reading this book I was very much part of group that would see a flying figure in the distance,
raise them up with the hopes of seeing a hawk, and lower them, disappointed that it was only a vulture.
Those days are now behind me. She really opened my eyes to the use of vultures in mythology, their
overall peaceful and gently nature, and the services they provide. Also they have stomach acid that can
kill salmonella and other bacteria that is harmful to people. I also learned the their Latin name
“Cathartes aura” means breezy cleanser which perfectly describes them.
I have never heard anyone talk or write about vultures the way Katie does; where most people speak of
vultures with disgust, she speaks with compassion. She describes their physical appearance with
respectful terms and really focuses on the fact they have very limited defenses, never harm people, and
put so much good into the world. She ventures into caves, barns, and edges as of of scientific discovery
and rehabilitation efforts. She also spends a great deal of time talking about raptor persecution and
what we can do to fight it.
One of the most interesting parts of the book was the role vultures play in disease prevention, although
this is one of the saddest parts of the book. In India, veterinarians treat cows with a dicloflenac, an anti-
inflammatory drug. When the cows die, vultures eat them and become sick and die and are removed
from their role as cleansers. This leaves more food for stray dogs (also a sad part of the book) to
congregate, eat the cows that can carry rabies, and then contact rabies themselves. This had lead to an
increase to dog bites.
I was also surprised to learn how many vultures came into their clinic with lead bullets embedded, a
clear indication vultures are not given the respect they deserve. The author makes if very clear she is
not anti-hunting, just don’t shoot the vultures. In fact, hunting is good as it leaves large piles of yummy
intestine and other parts for them to eat!
I am highly recommending this book to every, especially those who only think they dislike vultures.