This afternoon, watching from the hide at the Golden Gate vulture restaurant*, I was treated to one of the most entertaining sequences of animal interaction I have ever experienced!
A pair of black-backed jackals were protecting the last scraps of a carcass with everything they had against a group of Cape griffons.
I couldn’t help but think of the “bowling for buzzards” scene in the animated Disney movie “The Lion King” where meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa save little Simba by rushing into the huddle of vultures surrounding the lion cub!
A “Vulture Restaurant” is a feeding station where carcasses are made available for vultures in safe places to mitigate the risk of them feeding on poisoned carcasses elsewhere.
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How can one ever call nature boring? I would happily sit there for days… camera (and biltong) close at hand! 😉
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You will be well entertained at Golden Gate’s vulture hide AJ Vosse – there’s always some kind of activity going on, from little birds pecking away at maggots and scraps of meat to the mongooses, jackals, crows, ravens and the star attractions, the Cape and Bearded Vultures, all within easy reach of your lens. You’ll find it difficult to get a chance to enjoy your biltong ;-)!
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Thank you for visiting my blog. I have enjoyed reading this post and look forward to reading more.
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Thank you as well Chrisstov for visiting us here at de Wets Wild!
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What an awesome experience for being there…
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Definitely helps being in the right time at the right place Amy!
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Love your shots…And love also the new design of the blog…I think it highlights pics and text!
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Thank you very much Ilargia64!!!
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How great that you witnessed this! Great images as always!
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Thanks Z! This certainly was a special highlight!
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Who on earth would put poison on the carcass and what is the purpose?
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Unfortunately Seeker the sad reality is that poaching of vultures is a thriving business, some people believing that certain parts of the bird has magical properties. To a degree also some farmers still rely on managing “problem animals” like jackal and caracal that threaten their livestock by leaving poisoned carcasses for them, and the vultures then get poisoned unintentionally when they spot the bait first.
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Oh dear, there has to be a better way.
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Agreed Seeker. There’s many individuals and organisations working very hard to educate people on the fact that vultures cannot, for instance, “see” what the lotto numbers will be in advance, and working with farmers to protect their animals in more sustainable ways, like having shephard dogs protect their herds. Unfortunately changing perceptions takes time and effort, and human’s lust for money knows no bounds…
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Great shots Dries. Have a super weekend 🙂
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Thank you Joey! And a happy weekend to the two of you as well!
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