Tezos

Why we should value scavengers

Creator

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Description

"Scavengers are vilified and often feared. Around the world, creatures including vultures, hyenas and beetles that feed on animals that are already dead are considered unpleasant, dirty and dangerous. But the more scientists find out more about these consumers of the dead, the clearer it becomes that we should be valuing and protecting scavengers far more than we do today. They play a vital role in preserving the ecosystems they inhabit and provide important health and economic benefits. By devouring carcasses, they prevent pathogens from spreading to humans and wildlife and contaminants from leaching into the environment. Vultures are highly adept at cleaning up carcasses, making them the most efficient scavengers in the animal world, says Vibhu Prakash, principal scientist at the Bombay Natural History Society who oversees its vulture conservation breeding programme. "They can eat almost 40% of their body weight in bulk, whereas other animals can only eat about 5%," he says. But by the turn of the century, tens of millions of the birds were mysteriously dying. The populations of India's three most common vulture species together fell by more than 97% between 1992 and 2007." 12/09/22 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221206-why-we-should-value-scavengers

Traits

Tag

vulture

Tag

scavenger

Tag

scavengers