Vultures get a bad rap. Generally thought of as ugly scavengers, vultures are easy to dismiss. Even naturalist Charles Darwin described them as ‘disgusting’. But when you look more closely, you’ll realize the world is better off with vultures. Although these enormous birds display some odd behaviors, they play a crucial role in the environments in which they live, cleaning up after death and helping to keep ecosystems healthy and prevent the spread of disease.
Their extremely corrosive stomach acid allows vultures to consume rotting animal corpses. These scavenged leftovers are often infected with diseases and toxins that would otherwise kill other animals. By doing their clean-up work, they help keep diseases in check.
Vultures eat almost anything that’s dead or near dead and rodents are a favorite. When they — or any other animals — ingest poisoned rats, they are getting a dose of the poison as well. If you’re trying to manage rats, use an integrated pest management (IPM) approach – not bait.
Watch this video to learn more about managing rats and help protect Nature’s clean-up crew.