"Allan Bryant scans the sky as he watches over a minutes-old calf huddled under a tree line with its mother. After a few failed tries, the calf stands on wobbly legs for the first time, looking to nurse. Above, a pair of birds circle in the distance. Bryant, hoping they're not black vultures, is relieved to see they're only turkey vultures - red-headed and not aggressive. "Honestly, the black vulture is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen," he said. "They're easy to hate.""
"Black vultures, scavengers that sometimes attack and kill sick or newborn animals, didn't used to be a problem here. But now Bryant frequently sees the birds following a birth. He hasn't lost a calf in several years, but they've killed his animals before. So now he takes measures to stop them. In some of his fields, he erects a scarecrow of sorts - a dead black vulture - aimed at scaring off the birds."
"It's a problem that may grow worse for cattle farmers as the scavenging birds' range expands northward, in part due to climate change. Lobbying groups have been pushing for legislation that would allow landowners to kill more of these birds, which are protected but not endangered. But experts say more research is needed to better understand how the birds impact livestock and how their removal could affect ecosystems."
Black vultures have begun following calving and sometimes attack or kill sick or newborn cattle, prompting ranchers to adopt deterrents and lethal control under permits. Farmers erect dead-vulture scarecrows and use depredation permits to shoot limited numbers; such measures often only temporarily deter flocks. The birds' range has expanded northward and westward over the past century, with warmer winters from climate change aiding the shift. Lobbying groups seek legislation to increase landowner removal rights despite the species' protected status. Scientists caution that more research is needed to measure livestock impacts and potential ecological consequences of increased removal.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]