The lappet vultures aren’t here and we can’t get in!
Explore African wildlife and check out the vultures. South Africa has a number of vulture species and tragically many are endangered or close to being so. The Cape Vulture is one such and saw a massive decline not long ago. The numbers are coming back up slowly and yet there is a long way to go before we can breathe easy on their account.
There is a catch though. Most vultures can’t really get into a carcass if there was no major predator feeding on it first. So a giraffe for example (in the pic) that died of natural causes would have to be opened up before any can feed. The big shot who can actually do that is the Lappet faced vulture with its huge strong beak and powerful body. Once it has been opened then it’s a free for all.
The carcass as you can see in the picture has hardly been opened at all. Giraffe skin is pretty tough and even 24 hours after the giraffe died it has still not been exploited. Maybe the lappet’s are off on a jamboree cuz they ain’t showed up yet, and the Cape vultures, the white backed vultures and their hooded vulture pals are just hanging around waiting for a meal to be served.
