Vultures: Nature’s Unloved Heroes (And Why We Need Them)
Let’s clarify first: this blog is not about politics or sociology, even if the current world situation might make you think otherwise.
It is about real vultures, the ones that know how to fly.
I recently watched this TED Talk, "Why I love vultures" by Munir Virani, which convinced me that vultures deserve far better than their grim reputation. The speaker’s closing message is “Spread the word, help save them from extinction.” So, here’s my little contribution.
I won’t dive into an exhaustive study of vultures. I’m no ornithologist. But I’ve fact-checked key claims from the talk. I hope they spark your curiosity.
Yes, vultures are nature’s clean-up crew. As highly specialised scavenger, they provide critical waste management to the ecosystem. And by doing so, they prevent the spread of diseases (e.g. Anthrax) and regulate other populations of scavengers (feral dogs, rats or insects).
Yes, their biology is astonishing. For example, their stomach acid has a pH of 0.5–1.3. This is stronger than battery acid and about 100x more concentrated than ours (pH 2)*. Combined with a unique gut microbiome, this lets them safely digest rotting flesh laced with deadly pathogens like anthrax or botulism. (Source: “Vulture Genomes Reveal Molecular Adaptations…” by Zou et al., 2021)
Yes, their population is in crisis, and it affects us. Globally, vulture populations have declined by up to 99% in some regions. In India, their near-extinction led to a surge in rabies, anthrax, and other diseases, an effect linked to an estimated 500,000 human deaths between 2000–2005. (Source: “The Social Costs of Keystone Species Collapse” by Frank & Sudarshan, 2024).
The only point I couldn’t agree with was the speaker calling them beautiful. I’ll admit: their looks don’t fit my usual idea of beauty. But after learning what they do, I’m starting to see them differently.
And that’s how reputations begin to loosen, even as numbers keep falling.
*Note: pH is logarithmic. So a drop of 2 units = 100x increase in acidity. While some studies report pH 0.2 for vulture stomach, so ~63x more acidic than pH 2, the “100x” figure is commonly used for simplicity and impact.