Green Options

A disturbing incident in Eket, Nigeria reveals that unsuspecting roadside barbecue patrons may have been eating vulture meat instead of chicken.

Hungry buyers tempted by the scrumptious sizzle of meat cooking over a charcoal fire may want to think twice before buying a snack from one of these outdoor roasting vendors. What they think is chicken could actually be … vulture.

Vultures! One of the environment’s most necessary - but often overlooked - creatures.

Today is International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD09), and I’m participating in IVAD’s blog festival - “Blog for Vultures” - with a list of 16 cool facts about these amazing birds.

In honor of International Vulture Awareness Day, here is a gallery of 10 vulture species to celebrate the unique beauty of these vital birds. Enjoy!

Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)

Status: Critically Endangered. Population Trend: Decreasing. Range: Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; India; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Myanmar; Nepal; Thailand; Viet Nam. Possibly extinct in Malaysia; occasional straggler in Pakistan.

Image: flickr.com/schizoform/ / CC BY 2.0

In order to raise awareness for vulture conservation and educate the public about the threats facing these majestic birds, September 5, 2009 has been designated as International Vulture Awareness Day.

Over 100 organizations from around the world will be participating in International Vulture Awareness Day 2009 (IVAD09), a worldwide event that aims to publicize vulture conservation to a global audience and to bring attention to the work being done by vulture experts.