Vultures eat carrion (dead animals), but they prefer fresh to rotten food! They are excellent at riding air currents, which puts them at vantage points to scan the land below for fresh carrion.
The acid in vultures’ stomachs is almost comparable to acid in car batteries. It pretty much annihilates any bacteria!
Vultures are nature’s clean-up crew! They rid the environment of animal carcasses that harbor and spread infectious diseases like anthrax, cholera, and rabies, among others.
Challenges in the Wild
Intentional poisoning: Poachers in Africa will poison carcasses to kill vultures because circling vultures alert Park Rangers to this illegal activity.
Unintentional poisoning: Farmers poison large carnivores that threaten their livestock — vultures consume the poisoned carcasses and die as a result.
Habitat encroachment: Vultures are suffering from litter pollution and collisions with power lines, caused by humans encroaching on their natural habitats.
Dallas Zoo Saving African Vultures
The Dallas Zoo supports this amazing conservation organization:
Dallas Zoo is a proud sponsor and conservation partner of VulPro, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting vultures in South Africa. In 2019, hundreds of vultures from five different species were found dead in Botswana after consuming poisoned wildlife, which left many vulture chicks without care. We sent two of our staff members, a vet and a bird supervisor to help VulPro with the effort to rehabilitate these critically injured birds and orphaned chicks. The Dallas Zoo also contributes to VulPro for field and captive research, education, and rehabilitation.
You Can Help Save African Vultures in the Wild
Buy a Dallas Zoo membership to help save African vultures in the wild.
Never buy African animal products, and tell three people why.
Join nature’s clean-up crew, and pick up litter twice a week in your neighborhood.
Intentional poisoning: Poachers in Africa will poison carcasses to kill vultures because circling vultures alert Park Rangers to this illegal activity. 
