It's Happened Again

[Lon]

It's been over a year that I posted about the death of our beloved pet Boris.

To get over our grief we were able to obtain another Vulture Egg and experience the joy of a new vulture hatchling. We hand fed and nursed our new pet which was a male that we named Clyde, to adulthood, and were joyous when he first took flight. He took to nesting on our roof, in the same place as our beloved Boris, and like Boris, never bothered the local cats, dogs and small animals. He did however make them nervous as he flew his circular route through the neighborhood. Living not too far away from a major highway has made it easy for Clyde to find sufficient road kill to keep him well fed and happy. We do worry however about the same fate befalling him as Boris, namely that of getting run over on the highway as he enjoys his meal. Alas, that's the risk one must take with having a unique pet.

[abbey]

Pic's please Lon.

[Sheryl]

You have a pet vulture? :-3

[woppy71]

Wow!! Yes, pictures please!

[911]

I LOVE vultures!

You can raise one where you are? They are so smart.

Hurry with the pictures!

[Lon]

Clyde as a Hatchling---------in flight ----------portrait pose

[littlemissgiggle]

wow that's amazing and so unique.

Thank you for also sharing the pictures

[SuzyB]

Wow what a wonderful pet to have :-6 He is beautiful Lon :-6

[Indian Princess]

Lon, they are awesome, I now found someone to date, those pics are beautiful

[minks]

thanks lon those are wonderful. I hope all works out well with the new bird.

[JacksDad]

Indian Princess;716747 wrote: Lon, they are awesome, I now found someone to date, those pics are beautiful
:wah:

[spot]

If Clyde's fully functional as a vulture it suggests that there's no learning required from a parent bird, which I find interesting. What's Clyde missing as far as vultureness goes? If he fixated on being a human and incapable of a meaningful relationship with a lady vulture? Does he caw in a vulturely way when he sees a rabbit or does he shout "breakfast!"?

[guppy]

Will clyde come to you or is he wild?

[watermark]

congratulations on your beautiful baby, with a face only a mommy and daddy could love :wah:

[Lon]

guppy;716766 wrote: Will clyde come to you or is he wild?


He comes when I wave rotting carrion on a string. It's his favorite means of play.

[Lon]

spot;716765 wrote: If Clyde's fully functional as a vulture it suggests that there's no learning required from a parent bird, which I find interesting. What's Clyde missing as far as vultureness goes? If he fixated on being a human and incapable of a meaningful relationship with a lady vulture? Does he caw in a vulturely way when he sees a rabbit or does he shout "breakfast!"?


Unfortunately Spot, Clyde, having been trained by human hand is incapable of many things that his brothers bred in the wild are capable of. He will never be able to breed properly, He on occasion, goes after small live animals and kills them, but only when he is really hungry. We introduced him to Grey Poupon Mustard when very young and he refuses to eat certain carrion without it.

My neighbor across the street died last month and his widow took it as a personal affront when Clyde began circling their house.

[JacksDad]

Lon;716779 wrote: Unfortunately Spot, Clyde, having been trained by human hand is incapable of many things that his brothers bred in the wild are capable of. He will never be able to breed properly, He on occasion, goes after small live animals and kills them, but only when he is really hungry. We introduced him to Grey Poupon Mustard when very young and he refuses to eat certain carrion without it.

My neighbor across the street died last month and his widow took it as a personal affront when Clyde began circling their house.


She missed the beauty of it then.

[weeder]

What is a rotting carrion??

[spot]

How I restrained myself from posting my first answer I'll never know.

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal, which begins to decay from the moment of death and will increasingly attract insects and breed bacteria. Not long after the animal has died, its body will begin to smell of a foul odour caused by the presence of bacteria. At that stage it may reasonably be described as rotting.

I adjusted that from Wikipedia.

Thinking about it, it's not bacteria which cause the odour, it's a pair of chemicals called cadaverine and putrescine. Wow they're smelly. Here's another steal from the Internet: Bacteria break down tissues and cells, releasing fluids into body cavities. They often respire in the absence of oxygen (anaerobically) and produce various gases including hydrogen sulphide, methane, cadaverine and putrescine as by-products. People might find these gases foul smelling, but they are very attractive to a variety of insects.

The build up of gas resulting from the intense activity of the multiplying bacteria, creates pressure within the body. This pressure inflates the body and forces fluids out of cells and blood vessels and into the body cavity.

Young maggots move throughout the body, spreading bacteria, secreting digestive enzymes and tearing tissues with their mouth hooks. They move as a maggot mass benefiting from communal heat and shared digestive secretions.

The rate of decay increases, and the smells and body fluids that begin to eminate from the body attract more blowflies, flesh flies, beetles and mites. The later-arriving flies and beetles are predators, feeding on maggots as well as the decaying flesh. They are joined by parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs inside maggots and later, inside pupae. Right. Quarter to twelve. Lunch time.

[weeder]

Nice hobby. Gathering the carrion.

[sunny104]

*redneck alert*



:D :wah:



ahem....anyway, congrats on the new baby.....:-6

[YZGI]

Lon, are you sure thats not your mother in law just keeping an eye on you?

[sunny104]

Texas vultures must be super happy since there is no lack of dead deer on the roads for them.....

[weeder]

This is a joke. Right?? Is a vulture really a cool pet?? Im serious. Lon is pulling our leg.. isnt he??

[spot]

No, he means every word of it. I'm impressed - amazed - that he can rear one from hatching, it must take the patience of a saint.

[Lon]

[quote=spot;716848]How I restrained myself from posting my first answer I'll never know.

I'm curious now as to what your first answer would have been. It's a good thing that Clyde can't read what you did post, he'd salivate all over the place.

[weeder]

12 years ago, I was living in a very rural location, in Virginia. In a cabin, by a river, in the woods. I had just arrived there from New York City. Droves of vultures would gather in the trees, at the bottom of our long driveway, leading to the road out of the woods. They reminded me of the monkees from The Wizard of Oz..... and they represented a feeling of doom for me.

[nvalleyvee]

My silly Dog is wondering her fate as well.

[Lon]

weeder;717170 wrote: 12 years ago, I was living in a very rural location, in Virginia. In a cabin, by a river, in the woods. I had just arrived there from New York City. Droves of vultures would gather in the trees, at the bottom of our long driveway, leading to the road out of the woods. They reminded me of the monkees from The Wizard of Oz..... and they represented a feeling of doom for me.


Given the age that we were when we saw The Wizard of Oz---I think we all had a case of the willies.

[WonderWendy3]

did someone mention the flying monkeys from the wizard of OZ?? :eek:

I'll never forget leaping across the room and into my dad's lap and burrying my head in his chest when that part of the movie came on, and I was pretty young.....

[RedGlitter]

I have an acquaintance who adores vultures. I thought it odd at first too, but there's an animal for everyone it seems.

Lon, are there any laws in CA pertaining to harboring a vulture? What happens when you travel to NZ? Is Clyde self sufficient enough to handle that? How long do vultures normally live?

[Lon]

RedGlitter;717196 wrote: I have an acquaintance who adores vultures. I thought it odd at first too, but there's an animal for everyone it seems.

Lon, are there any laws in CA pertaining to harboring a vulture? What happens when you travel to NZ? Is Clyde self sufficient enough to handle that? How long do vultures normally live?


You know, I never have inquired as to the legality of having a vulture as a pet. He roosts on our roof, so what can anyone say. I think he hangs around instead of flying off because of us getting him hooked on Grey Poupon Mustard when he was just a hatchling. He loves it with squirrel carrion. When we go to NZ, I have a neighbor that keeps the Mustard handy for Clyde. It's always a joy when we get back to California and Clyde will want to get up close to my face and rub his beak against my cheek. Frankly, I love Clyde, but his breath is something else after some of the meals he's had. Vultures can live up to 20 years if they can avoid getting hit by cars or trucks while dining.

[911]

I've read that even wild vultures can get attracted to humans, not as food, just . . . curious, I guess.

They always go back to the same place for mating. If there is a large dead animal, they have a sort of telegraph system for the other broods. They send one of their own to notify the others and before you know it, you're surrounded.

People call the office all the time if they see a flock of them in someone's yard, thinking someone in the house is dead. It's my understanding that unless they've been dead a very long time, they can't smell them that well from inside. Of course, I'm talking about turkey vultures here.

I think they are all very amazing but I didn't know they would kill something themselves, I thought they were strickly carrion eaters.

How lucky you are Lon. I would love to see them up close.



FYI from The Turkey Vulture Society

Vultures are roosting on my deck. Should I be worried about diseases or bacteria from their poop?

Because of the nature of their diets and digestive system, vulture poop is actually a sanitizer. Amazing! Their stomachs contain digestive acids that kill virtually all bacteria and viruses, and there is even evidence for the claim that they can consume meat infected with anthrax, destroying the virus in their digestive system. After stepping in a carcass, they will often expel their waste, which is white and fluid, onto their legs. The uric acid kills any bacteria that they may have picked up from the dead animal.

It is not fun to have vulture waste to clean off your deck. But it comes up quickly and easily with a hose and scrub brush, and you can take comfort in the fact that coming in contact with vulture "whitewash" will not endanger your health.

See the above question for tips on discouraging vultures from roosting on your porch.



I have a small dog. I worry about letting her out in the yard alone because there are vultures overhead. Will the vultures bother her?

No, the vultures are not at all interested in moving animals. They will only descend on something that is lying still, and will only approach it if it smells decayed. These peaceful animals will pose no risk to your animals, children, or infants.



What do you call a group of vultures?

A group of vultures is called a "Venue". Vultures circling on thermals of hot air are also referred to as a "Kettle", because they resemble the rising bubbles in a boiling pot of water.



My husband says vultures don't have any sense of smell. I say they can and do smell things. Who is correct?

Congratulations! You are both right! African and Asian vultures, being descended from hawks and eagles, have no sense of smell. This is characteristic of the majority of the bird kingdom. American vultures, however, including the turkey vulture, black vulture, Andean and California condor, and king vulture, CAN smell. The turkey vulture, in particular, has a very well developed sense of smell. These birds are descended from storks and ibises. The turkey vulture has shown itself, in many tests, to use its sense of smell as a predominant means of finding food. Scientists even used turkey vultures to find a leak in a many-mile-long gas pipeline, by pumping a form of gas through the lines that smelled like carrion.



Do vultures find their food by smell or sight?

All vultures find food with their incredible eyesight, but new world (American) vultures have a keenly developed sense of smell, on which they rely for most of their foraging. Turkey vultures use an even combination of smell and sight--whichever reaches them first. The rest of the new world vultures rely partially on smell and more on eyesight, or the activities of turkey vultures. Old world vultures have no sense of smell, and rely solely on eyesight.

See above question for further elaboration.



Will a vulture avoid decaying meat if it has gone beyond a point of no return? Is there anything that a vulture would turn up his beak at?

Yes, vultures WILL turn their nose up at carcasses in advanced stages of putrefaction. They much prefer their meat fresh, but often must wait a few days for the hide to soften enough for their weak beaks to penetrate it. African vultures have much stronger beaks, and henceforth the ability to be much more picky about their diets.



I have a farm and I see vultures on many occasions, especially if I have lost a calf. However, it seems that they will not eat a dog's carcass. There have been two on my road for a while and neither has been touched by vultures. Why do they choose to leave dog carcasses alone?

Turkey vultures, contrary to popular assumption, do not eat absolutely anything placed in front of them. Predatory animals (and scavengers as well) typically feed on herbivorous animals. The flesh of an herbivore is much tastier.

In short, turkey vultures will often bypass carcasses of cats, dogs, and coyotes. They will, however, eat such carcasses in the absence of more desirable food.



Do vultures scavenge at night?

No, vultures have very poor vision in the dark.



How long can a turkey vulture live?

The oldest known turkey vulture, Tolouse, is 33 years old, and lives at the San Francisco Zoo.



Would vultures circle a moving object, like a vehicle carrying a dead or dying animal?

Contrary to popular belief, circling vultures do not necessarily indicate the presence of a dead animal. Circling vultures may be gaining altitude for long flights, searching for food, or playing.

These birds soar on thermals of warm, rising air. This allows them to best conserve their energy in flight. After rising on the thermal, they glide as far as possible before they need to gain altitude again. They also rely on thermals of warm air to remain aloft while scanning the ground for food.

You will certainly see vultures in the air over a carcass, but in the case of small carcasses, the descent is rapid. As for larger carcasses, while remaining on the lookout for food, vultures are equally attuned to their fellow vultures. They note when others' behavior indicates the discovery of a food source, and will flock to the area. Often, the entire group will remain aloft until sufficient birds have arrived to dispose of the carcass in a timely fashion.

Please note, however, that American vultures are not known to circle a dying animal.

In many parts of the world, vultures have become very brave and comfortable in the presence of humans. In these areas, they sit around rooftops, markets, and garbage dumps, and have much the same presence among the population as the gulls have among us. In such areas, they will follow carts full of food or garbage.





What exactly does a turkey vulture smell when an animal is dead or dying? Blood?

Vultures are attracted to the scent of mercaptan, the gas produced by the beginnings of decay. This gas was used by a piping company that was trying to find a leak in their gas lines. They pumped it through the lines, and where it leaked through, turkey vultures began to congregate.



How do you determine the gender of a turkey vulture?

Male and female turkey vultures do not exhibit any visible differences. They are exactly alike in color, and do not differ significantly in size or weight. Gender cannot be determined without a medical procedure.



I found an abandoned baby vulture. What do I do?

Take a careful look at the situation before you jump to conclusions. Remember: American vultures DO NOT nest in trees. They lay their eggs on the ground, in caves, hollow logs or other cavelike structures. Sometimes the nest (which doesn't appear nestlike at all) will be a simple dip, scratched into the ground, seemingly out in the open. Many hikers who happen upon such a nest believe that they have discovered a hawk that has fallen from its nest. If you see any evidence of nesting activity, you have probably stumbled on a nestling waiting for his parents to return with food. The best clue that you have discovered a nest is the presence of multiple babies. Please leave them be, unless one or more appear visibly injured.

If you are confident that your baby vulture is hurt or truly lost, pick him up carefully and place him in a covered box lined with towels. Contact a local wildlife rehabilitator immediately. The bird will require special care from a trained professional, and it is illegal for an unlicensed individual to posess or care for a vulture for more than 24 hours.



Is it okay to handle a vulture egg if the mother is not around?

No, you should never disturb a nest, whether the parents are present or not. However, if you know of someone who has unwittingly removed an egg from its place, it is possible to replace it in hopes that the parents will return to continue incubating the egg. Some vultures are very sensitive to nest disturbances, but others will remain devoted to their egg until it has been eaten or destroyed.



Can I raise a tukey vulture to keep as a pet?

Many years ago the United States entered into several International Treaties with Canada, Mexico, and all of the countries of Central and South America. These treaties were designed to protect all migratory birds from being killed, harmed, harrassed, or captured. By law, a person cannot keep one in captivity. The only exceptions are zoos (which must posess special permits for each animal they hold) and wildlife rehabilitators, who can obtain permits to keep a permanently injured vulture for educational or surrogate purposes.

In short, no, you cannot keep a vulture as a personal pet. However, you can find many ways to interact with vultures close-up. Try to find a local wildlife center with a non-releasable vulture, where you can volunteer. Of, if you are truly passionate about animals, consider becoming a rehabilitator yourself! There are very few rehabilitators who are willing to care for vultures.

[RedGlitter]

Wow, that is some interesting info, 911! And gross about the antibacterial poopage! But cool to read just the same.

Lon, I have to admit when you mentioned the Grey Poupon, I thought you were pulling our legs! I wonder if Clyde would be partial to Jack Daniels whiskey mustard??

[911]

A drunk vulture, now that's funny! :wah:

[sunny104]

no ya'll...Lon's vulture would only drink Dom Perignon of course..... :wah:

[RedGlitter]

I just found this, so in honor of Clyde and vultures everywhere....

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