Team B Olga, Meg, Bettina, Daniel PSY/460 Environmental Psychology University of Phoenix September 27, 2013 Penelope Jeffries Goran Ekstrom/RSPB

Agenda  Introduction  Vultures as an endangered species  Causes  Effects  Solutions  References  Questions? newswatch.nationalgeographic.com

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 species  Old 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….. cambodia.panda.org

Habitat Loss:  A habitat is the ecosystem a species needs to live in: for example…  A swamp  Rainforest  Woodland  Limestone 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. sotinpc.wordpress.com

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.

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.” arch1design.com

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 ecosystem  Cleaning 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.

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  Main, D. (2013). Hope Emerges Vultures in India. Retrieved from  Pictures from