VULTURES: AN ENDANGERED

SPECIESTeam BOlga, Meg, Bettina, DanielPSY/460 Environmental PsychologyUniversity of PhoenixSeptember 27, 2013Penelope Jeffries

Goran Ekstrom/RSPB

Agenda Introduction Vultures as an endangered species Causes Effects Solutions References Questions?

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Raise of Hands. . .

Introduction: Vultures Vultures are scavenging

birds Get their food only from

death animals Get their prey through

sight not through the sense of smell

Vultures are strong animals, also they have a long life (longevity).

Two categories:New World; 7 speciesOld World; 14 species

Vultures in South Africa Endangered

The number of vulture species which are now considered Endangered Threatened Vulnerable, or Rare is

now at a very high level Vultures are often

killed for use of medicines and rituals.

Continue……………..

Continue…………. Vulture parts are prescribed for various

ailments including headaches Effective for providing clairvoyant powers,

foresight and increased intelligence. By eating the brain of the vulture, the

Sangoma (healer or witch doctor) said to receive greater. powers to communicate with the dead.

The foot of a vulture is believed to bring good luck in gambling.

What causes a species to become endangered?

There are many things that can cause a species to become threatened or

endangered…..

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Habitat Loss: A habitat is the ecosystem a species needs to live

in: for example…A swamp Rainforest WoodlandLimestone bog Desert

HABITAT LOSS IS THE GREATEST CAUSE OF SPECIES BEING ENDANGERED. Trees used for nesting used to supply plywood Construction of homes, buildings, roads Loss of farmlands and new creation of farmlands

threatens many ecosystems.

Pollution: Pollution can take many forms:

Water, air, and ground pollution. Toxic substances dumped in a wooded area

will destroy the soil and the species that live in it (from bacteria, to insects and the birds & animals that eat them) but it will also get into the groundwater below it.

That water may lead to the same source of water that comes out of your faucet like we learned last week.

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Competition from other species: There are times where there are just too

many animals living in an area that compete for the space, water and food that is found there.

Also there are some animals that carry parasitic disease which threatens the remaining lives of other populations.

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Disease : Studies show that:

“It is a part of nature that animals get diseases. But sometimes humans introduce diseases and problems into a species. The most publicized example is DDT. An insecticide that was used all over the U.S., it was found in water & soil and eventually worked its way up the food chain from small water feeders to the fish who ate the plant life in the water and the animals and humans who ate the fish! When DDT was left into the water it eventually broke down and became DDE. These toxic substances (along with others like PCB's) caused eagles and peregrine falcons to produce eggs that had shells so thin that they broke just from the mother sitting on them.”

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Predators:

Predators are species that hunt other species as their way of getting food.

This can cause a population of a species to go endangered.

For example: Peregrine falcon will kill small rodents (like

mice & voles) and even kill other birds to get food. This is natural and expected.

Human Factors A drug called Diclofenac

Banned in 2006 Treats inflammation in cattle

Kidney failure in vultures Unintentional poisoning to vultures

Rituals "Why save a bird that feeds on dead

animals?“ Not pleasant birds to contemplate Associated with death

Why are vultures important??

Vital role in the ecosystemCleaning the environment of rotting

carcasses.Reduces the possibility of a carcass

becoming a hazard to human health.Controls the populations of disease-carrying

scavengers such as feral dogs and rats.

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Solutions Bird Conservation Nepal

"restaurants" as places where the birds could feed on safe carcasses.

Ban the use of Diclofenac in our livestock.

Bring awareness to vulture pouching. Support conservation breeding centers. Help establish vulture safe zones for

breeding and feeding.

sospecies.org

References Sharma, G. (2012). Nepal’s Vulture

“restaurant” for Endangered Birds. Retrieved from www.reuters.com

Main, D. (2013). Hope Emerges Vultures in India. Retrieved from www.livescience.com

Pictures from www.google.com