How American Ranchers Deal With Millions Of Wild Vultures Attacking Cattle

on the Prairies of America Wars like this often  take place in the nearby Treetops opportunistic   Predators saw it all instead of attacking living  animals they will fight over corpses but this   war was equally brutal leaving the Wilderness  and moving towards Farms livestock are quickly   targeted by vultures in place of wild animals  and this is how millions of vultures affect   American agriculture vultures have long been  considered a nuisance in the American South   vultures appear everywhere on the balcony on the  roof and they are ready to destroy windshield   wipers of cars in the area occasionally vultures  create collisions in the air and as Farm clashes   increase some breeders are desperate and looking  for help vultures display complex behaviors and   can adapt to any human dominated landscape they  have many advantages over invasive species on the   ground easily expanding their range contributing  to increasing conflicts between humans and vultures the diverse ecosystem and ability to move  at high altitudes help helps vultures respond to   changes in the availability of essential resources  such as food and habitat conditions for these   opportunistic Predators feeding in terrestrial  or aquatic environments is possible for them they   often hunt their prey in open ground by hovering  about 200 ft off the ground although the turkey   vulture typically migrates it may stay during  mild Winters turkey vultures typically live on   open Plains deserts or forests groups of up to  70 birds or more may roost in trees and leave   them when warmer air makes it easier for them  to fly in Spain it is estimated that vultures   can remove up to 200 tons of Bones and more  than 8,300 tons of rotting meat each year   the rapid consumption of livestock carcasses  significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions   in addition it also saves costs of collecting and  transporting Cal carcasses to the processing plant   they not only clean up animal carcasses  lying around in the fields but also wild   animal carcasses in fact vultures are nature's  scavengers cleaning corpses purifying pathogens   and preventing the spread of disease at  the same time vultures also contribute   to nutrient Recycling and eliminate populations  of faculative scavengers such as foxes compared   to this carcass cleaning machine on the step  vultures are much more useful they also provide   cultural and spiritual Services dating back  thousands of years accompanying that they are   entertainment services in the form of ecotourism  here vultures are taken care of quite well it is   estimated that the potential value of vulture  viewing at a nature reserve in Israel is more   than $1 million us and that 85% of visitors come  back to the park specifically to see vultures regardless of whether in artificial or natural  environments we cannot deny the positive effects   of vultures on the ecosystem however vulture  populations still cause certain damage to   Agriculture and the lives of American people  unlike its redheaded cousin the turkey vulture   which only eats dead animals black vultures are  aggressive birds that will sometimes kill other   animal animals for food black vulture attacks  often Target young animals or livestock that is   giving birth and cannot fight back two men tried  to pull the C's body from out of the mother cow's   body its body twitched in pain and it seemed  to be waiting for death black vultures are   present year round in Kentucky however they  are migratory from South America to Canada   which is why numbers tend to increase  in Kentucky in the fall and winter as   Northern Birds move South they are mediumsized  vultures standing 23 to 27 in tall with winds   spread over 5 ft they weigh around 3 1/2 to  5 lb because vultures are able to locate and   consume carcasses quickly they have a  competitive advantage over terrestrial   carnivores each brood of vultures usually lays  two eggs and the eggs are incubated for 28 to   40 days the young vulture will develop its wings  in 9 to 10 weeks and then leave the nest after   60 to 80 days at this time they are healthy and  know all the hunting skills required the strong   survival ability and lack of many natural enemies  has led to a population explosion of vultures the   bird has become a problem over a wide area from  the Gulf of Mexico to Ohio and from Texas to   New York a vulture attack can cost a farm up to  $2,000 us per animal vultures fly around in the   grazing area they are a potential danger Farmers  must constantly be keeping an eye on on their   livestock because if they are not careful at the  last moment their cattle could become a meal for vultures American farmers do not hunt vultures  because this Predator is protected by law as   migratory Birds black vultures are federally  protected under the migratory bird treaty act   and individual state regulations this means  that without a license American farmers are   not allowed to hunt vultures instead they may  use other preventative measures farmers can   catch a vulture and bring it in front of the whole  flock to frighten the rest or use a dummy vultures   certainly don't like this at all when hanging up  the dummy they will often disperse from that area   Farmers often often use dummies around their  houses and grazing areas if they return after   a few days they will repeat the process proper  disposal and handling of livestock can also limit   vulture attacks because carcasses littering the  landscape will attract Predators on a cattle farm   in Indiana when dead livestock arec discovered  Farmers clean it up before the Raptors arrive   not only do they affect the livestock industry  vultures also cause headaches for the American   people of course they are not dangerous to humans  but no one likes these wild birds appearing   around their living area because vultures behave  naturally like their territory and can bring many   nuisances shock lines have been installed on the  roofs of people in the area this is a lowprofile   ledge suppression system that is effective against  all nuisance Birds it uses the principle of fear   and flight when vultures land on one of the  tracks They will receive a mild electric shock   this is not harmful to them but will allow them to  stay away from the area disturbing the vulture's   hearing with a flare gun is also a good measure  the gun is specially made with sounds and lights   similar to fireworks just enough to scare vultures  a series of measures were implemented and brought   about certain effects yet in contrast to the rapid  decline of many vulture species worldwide black   vulture populations are increasing and expanding  their distribution in North America they occur   from the south to the Midwest North along the  Appalachian Mountains and up the East Coast into Canada at first glance tourists sailing along the  beach thought the creatures swimming towards them   were dogs but they were all wrong those are  wild BS they swam for hours in the sea where   do they come from nobody knows but their  appearance on the beach made everyone panic deep into German territory gunshots rang out  an uncompromising War where millions of wild   BS invaded Bavaria and how German Farmers cope  with them central European wild BS have coarse   fur small eyes and sharp teeth connected to strong  Jaws these invasive wild BS bring a lot of trouble   while wild BS can injure and even kill people  Southeast Germany is seeing a notable presence   of wild boar over the past few decades wild BS  stormed the Bavarian town on a peaceful Saturday   morning leaving behind damaged cars and destroyed  fences they ran away from the hunters and caused   trouble for the people incidents increased  and more police were deployed into the town in nature wild boes are extremely resilient they  can thrive in almost any environment and are known   for their ability to eat just about anything  those two characteristics make wild BS a highly   adaptable creature at the same time it also makes  them a nuisance there is an interesting point in   the wild wolves are the number one one enemy of  wild BS although wild BS cause great damage in   many places much damage is not done in Germany's  Suburban areas which are areas with sizable wolf   populations unfortunately wolves are not usually  found around major agricultural areas this means   there is no natural mechanism to control their  numbers where still a female wild boar can give   birth to 2 L of 5 to8 Cubs each which further  complicates the population problem births can   occur every month of the year with most wild boore  populations having Peak births occurring in the   winter and spring months mother wild BS are very  dangerous especially when protecting their young   and they can hurt you in areas where forage is  abundant reproductive rates may be higher than   average without hunting the population would  triple every year Wildlife biologists warn   that this could quickly reach an area limit of  30 wild BS per square km that will be the end of   the agricultural industry while BS are large and  ferocious with some weighing up to 590 L their   presence in the area has deprived native species  of food sources deer are one of the species that   must leave a habitat when wild BS arrive they  tore up the bush with roots and swamps leaving   only bare soil plants are not adapted to resist  that type of attack and cannot regenerate fast   enough a herd of wild BS can destroy an entire  field of crops in just a few days besides wild   BS are are also vectors of diseases containing  many pathogens and parasites they defecate in   the fields leaving behind fecal coll forms  that can infect and endanger human and animal health conflicts between humans and Wildlife  have reached alarming levels all over the   world the tense relationship between the  German people and Wild BS reflects that   this is not a cute animal heads of states are  forced to take measures to limit their Invasion   when dealing with this aggressive species  there are some states that allow hunting   of feral Hogs from helicopters with this flying  speed and altitude Hunters are required to have   higher techniques no wild BO stand still  they must aim accurately during the chase   chasing them on the ground is very dangerous  if not careful farmers will likely be attacked   by wild BS of course conventional hunting like  this is still more common but to ensure safety   Farmers must wear protective gear and use High  Caliber weapons the German hunting Federation   says Central Europe is turning into a land of  abundance as warmer weather causes more crops   to grow not only farmers but invasive wild BS  also love this information the wild Boors born   in Spring are growing extremely well it would not  be surprising if wild animals grow healthy in good   environments but even in difficult times like  climate change wild boes are still beneficiaries   when faced with brutal Invaders protecting crops  from Wild board damage is a serious topic for   hunters from August to October in Germany a team  of professional Hunters was assigned to deal with   them if Hunters responsible for restoration fail  to prevent damage caused by feral pigs they may   be held responsible for Farmers lost crops and  the fine can reach tens of thousands of dollars   hunting is mainly done in the evening and lasts  until early morning when hunting Hunters use   different luring methods to attract wild BS Oak  sap is spread on the trees and attracts wild BS   to rub on the trees in addition some tools such  as sand generators are also used to increase the   likelihood of successful hunting trips besides  orientated safaris are always stimulating and   and are popularly done at this time instead of  waiting for the wild boar to arrive the hunter   will control the game they actively searched  based on the sounds emitted when the wild   boar herd moved depending on speed and accuracy  experienced Hunters can hunt several wild BS in   just a few seconds the hunter spotted a pig ahead  he gently took aim and killed it neatly this is a   job only for healthy and sharp people he tried to  run uphill in time to stop the pigs from escaping   each shot must be very fast and accurate so that  not a single wild boar can run away the head or   chest are the two preferred positions when hunting  wild ball because they can cause higher mortality   that's how professional Hunters deal a high damage  attack and the results they obtain on today's trip you can easily see Wild Bo meat on the dining  tables of Americans or Australians countries   that also suffer a lot of damage from Wild  boes however wild B meat in Germany is not   popular because of radioactivity wild boes  are one of the species most affected by the   long-term consequences of the Chino nuclear  disaster experts say that unlike other wild   animals wild BS tend to store radiation  because they plow contaminated soil with   their snouts regardless Hunters still Target  wild BS with excessive radiation levels last   year they brought in a record number of 640,000  wild boes and following that Trend the amount of   contaminated meat also Al skyrocketed wild B meat  is so radioactive that it is considered dangerous   for consumers it needs to be thrown out and burned  if Hunters are serious about bringing wild B meat   to the table they will choose carefully from  the wild boes they hunt then wild boar meat is   tested for radiation before use of course they  must also prioritize areas with low rates of   radioactive wild boore for commercial hunting  in fact sometimes selling to the government is   more profitable than selling to commercial  stores compensation from Germany's atomic   energy law promises to give Hunters a financial  incentive to surrender radioactive wild ball meat

Channel: Tony 98 - Discovery

Views: 314,770

Keywords: farming, agriculture, invasive species, vultures, vulture, animals of america, harvesting, documentary, farm documentary, farmers, ranchers, #tony98discovery

Id: RJjnz2LNsvc

Length: 19min 25sec (1165 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 08 2024