Tag: vultures

Aspects of Colombia (#23 in teaser series: sanitation engineer)

Published August 8, 2026 by Pelidoug

Aspects of Colombia (#23 in teaser series: sanitation engineer)

This post’s caption is a euphemism – one commonly applied to humans who used to be called “garbage men”, “refuse collectors”, or “garbos”,

Vultures are also crucially-important “sanitation engineers”.

Generally reviled and/or targeted/persecuted by humans, vultures are in fact hugely-beneficial to humankind’s health.

Most of the 23 generally-recognised vulture species are now in serious decline.

The 16 Old World vultures inhabit African and/or Eurasian places.

The 7 New World vultures live in the Americas.

6 of them fly in Colombian skies.

Three of the same (#8 in series: Himalayan Griffon Vultures)

Published April 30, 2023 by Pelidoug

Three of the same (#8 in series: Himalayan Griffon Vultures)

Dead yaks reputedly provide rather more than half of the food eaten by Gyps himalayensis, but many members of Homo sapiens have also been devoured.

“Live” humans, fear not!

These very large raptors are scavengers, not hunters.

For countless human generations – via so-called “Tibetan Sky Burials”, in which religious rites are meticulously conducted, but the recently-deceased are not buried – Himalayan Griffon Vultures have done high-altitude humans a valuable service.

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