Presumed killers? Vultures, stakeholders, misperceptions, and fake news

José A Sánchez‐Zapata,Fernando Ballejo,Arjun Amar,Ainara Cortés‐Avizanda,Pablo I Plaza ,Christopher G R Bowden ,Karina L Speziale,Antoni Margalida,Olivier Duriez,Rhys E Green,Andrea Santangeli,Fernando Hiraldo,Orr Spiegel,André Botha ,Darcy Ogada,Keith L Bildstein,Sergio A Lambertucci,José A Donázar,Nuria Selva,Guillermo Blanco

doi:10.1111/csp2.415

Abstract

AbstractVultures and condors are among the most threatened avian species in the world due to the impacts of human activities. Negative perceptions can contribute to these threats as some vulture species have been historically blamed for killing livestock. This perception of conflict has increased in recent years, associated with a viral spread of partial and biased information through social media and despite limited empirical support for these assertions. Here, we highlight that magnifying infrequent events of livestock being injured by vultures through publically shared videos or biased news items negatively impact efforts to conserve threatened populations of avian scavengers. We encourage environmental agencies, researchers, and practitioners to evaluate the reliability, frequency, and context of reports of vulture predation, weighing those results against the diverse and valuable contributions of vultures to environmental health and human well‐being. We also encourage the development of awareness campaigns and improved livestock management practices, including commonly available nonlethal deterrence strategies, if needed. These actions are urgently required to allow the development of a more effective conservation strategy for vultures worldwide.

Highlights

New and Old world obligate avian scavengers, condors and vultures, are among the most threatened birds in the world with 70% of species showing decreasing populations, mainly due to exposure to human-made toxicants (McClure et al, 2018; Plaza, Martínez-López, & Lambertucci, 2019)
Most vulture species depend upon the carcasses of medium-to-large sized mammalian herbivores as a primary food-source
The beneficial relationship between farmers and avian scavengers is well-known (Cortés-Avizanda, Donázar, & Pereira, 2015), the consumption of carcasses of domestic animals by vultures still results in perceived conflicts with farmers who blame them for killing their livestock (Ballejo, Plaza, & Lambertucci, 2020b; Duriez et al, 2019; Margalida, Campión, & Donázar, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

New and Old world obligate avian scavengers, condors and vultures (hereafter “vultures”), are among the most threatened birds in the world with 70% of species showing decreasing populations, mainly due to exposure to human-made toxicants (McClure et al, 2018; Plaza, Martínez-López, & Lambertucci, 2019). We highlight that magnifying infrequent events of livestock being injured by vultures through publically shared videos or biased news items negatively impact efforts to conserve threatened populations of avian scavengers.

Results

Conclusion