Where a decade ago there were several thousands vultures from various species, only a few hundred remain in Botswana. Some species are now classified as nearly extinct and others as critically endangered. To a less informed person, no one should complain that so many of the ‘stinky birds’ were destroyed. What they would not know is that the death of only a few birds is catastrophic, for a number of reasons.
Chief among these is the fact that when so many vultures die, entire generations are wiped out. This is because a vulture lays only one egg in five years, and only at age five does a vulture become ready to start laying that one egg. So when so many birds are destroyed, entire families and lineages are wiped out. Sadly, vultures fly and eat in families. An entire colony made up of the same species, each potentially a blood relative of the other, will descend on some rotting carrion and ensure they leave nothing except the bones and skin. This is where our people get the saying ‘manong a ja ka losika’. Because they eat en-masse, the birds are vulnerable to enemies.
