They might not be as cute as pandas (though I would argue that point) but vultures are some of our planet's most important clean-up crew members. A vulture cleans up animal carcasses and waste and their powerful stomachs allow them to eat meat infected with deadly pathogens like anthrax, botulism, cholera, and rabies. Not only do they not get sick from this, but they completely neutralize these deadly agents from the environment. These amazing birds help limit the spread of disease, both from the carcasses they eat, and by providing competition with other scavenging animals that are not as effective as keeping things clean. With their bare, featherless heads and their iconic circular flight patterns, these birds are instantly recognizable to most people. But as ubiquitous as these birds seem to be upon the African Savannah, where documentaries often show them prowling the skies for carrion or feeding while neck deep in a zebra carcass, these birds are in trouble. There are a total of 22 vulture species worldwide, being found in both the New World (The Americas) and the Old World (Eurasia) Of these 22 species, 16 are considered either threatened, endangered, or critically endangered with the very real threat of extinction looming over them. In recent years, some populations have declined by as much as 95-99 percent. The reason? Besides habitat loss and their resources being limited by human development, the numbers of Old World vultures are plummeting due to the accidental poisoning of them via the veterinary drug, Diclofenac, an antibiotic used to treat cattle that is fatal when ingested by vultures. Carcasses from cows treated with the drug are eaten by unwitting vultures, fatally poisoning them and leading to their drastic decline. Some vultures are even intentionally poisoned by poachers to prevent the circling birds from giving away the position of a poached animal. The loss of vultures is affecting the wellbeing of societal, cultural, medical and financial statuses across the globe in exclusively negative ways.



Despite all odds, there have been many breakthroughs in vulture conservation, but it is only made possible by the diligent work of scientists, conservationists and public donations, which leads me to what I am doing...

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Today at at 2:30 PM EST I'm going to be doing a donation stream to raise money for @HawkConservancy to go towards vulture conservation! For each donation of $10 I'll do a custom sketch for you! Just be sure to take a screenshot and message it to me, with details about your desired sketch, either on here or at my email at sydthesquid95@gmail.com!

This is where you can donate! I will be donating $50 myself!

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Vultures are my absolute favorite animals. They're fascinating and beautiful birds that have such a huge impact on the environment. They are inquisitive and intelligent, they mate for life, multiple same-sex pairs have even been documented, one couple even successfully hatching an adopted egg, and their silhouettes in the sky are such an iconic and beautiful sight that I want preserved for many, many generations to come.