The covid-19 pandemic that continues to this day has brought great disasters to mankind. In the post-pandemic era, some people have begun to analyze the so-called "shutdown" of human activities. The unprecedented stagnation of economic activity in human history seems to have brought infinite vitality to other life on Earth.
Lion walk
Breathing room
Many people feel that there are more birds around them, warblers singing and dancing, chirping, not lively. Scholars abroad have studied the changes in bird song during the epidemic. Birdsong has been found not to actually get louder; studies from the United States have shown that the singing of the white-crowned bunting has also been reduced by a few shells. The reason is that there is less transportation and the hustle and bustle of human activities, and birds no longer have to bark in their throats.
According to media reports, during the epidemic, three mountain lions strolled the streets of Santiago, Chile; wild boars dragged their families and trotted on the walking streets of Haifa, Israel, during the day; hundreds of thousands of flamingos crowded into ponds in Mumbai, India, with a 25% increase in numbers over previous years.
flamingo
The "shutdown" of human activities seems to give wildlife a breathing space. In fact, what we see is a superficial phenomenon, the problems faced by different species are different, and the actual situation is much more complicated. Through case studies, it was found that the living conditions of vultures were getting worse and worse, and they did not benefit from the "shutdown" of human activities.
Little is known
There are only 23 species of vultures in the world, and China is the country with the largest distribution of vultures.
There are about 8 species. In contrast, there are only 2 species left in the United States and 4 species in Europe. Chinese vultures mainly include vultures, alpine vultures, and bearded vultures (commonly known as "three vultures"). Among them, vultures (mountain eagles) are the most adaptable and have the widest distribution area, accounting for more than one-half of the country's land area. Bearded vultures, commonly known as "bearded eagles", have a black "beard" on their beaks. The alpine vulture, also known as the "Himalayan vulture" or "Himalayan vulture", is a mysterious large plateau bird of prey distributed in the Tianshan Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, Pamir Plateau, Karakoram Mountains, Himalayan Mountains and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which are rare in China's neighboring countries.
vulture
Little is known about vultures. There are still many problems to be studied, such as the evolution of birds of prey, including vultures, taxonomic status, flight dynamics, breeding cycles, lifespans, etc. are not very clear. Vultures face a variety of threats in many areas, and some are at risk of extinction. In early 2021, baldness was designated as a nationally protected animal. Previously, the bearded vulture has been designated as a national first-class protected animal. This shows from the side that the protection of vultures cannot be delayed.
Food shortages
In the winter, the survival problem of vultures is more prominent. During the coldest season of the year, vultures are hungry and have to forage around with difficulty. In early spring, food is scarce, and some animals often enter the vulture's nest to interfere with their reproduction. Food is scarce in winter and spring, and raptors and beasts of prey at the top of the food chain are strained, and conflicts occur from time to time.
Accumulation of toxins
Vultures play a vital role in ecosystems, and they are rescued vultures and scavengers at the top of the food chain in the mountains, known as "earth cleaners". Because of this, the toxic and harmful substances ingested by the underlying animals will eventually accumulate in the vultures. The transmission of toxins and contaminants through the food chain is usually: first from herbivores to omnivores, then from omnivores to carnivores, and finally to scavengers. This means that vultures are mostly the ultimate victims of secondary and tertiary poisoning, and their bodies accumulate toxins and pollutants from other animals. This undoubtedly poses a great threat to them.
Scavenging vultures
Beginning in the 1990s, three ancient species of vultures distributed across the South Asian subcontinent— the white-backed vulture, the slender-billed vulture, and the long-billed vulture — were devastated by eating the carcasses of livestock containing the anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac), causing kidney failure. This led to the demise of more than 98% of the local vultures.
Increase in cases
What is even more alarming is that vulture cases are frequent. In some cases, as many as dozens of vultures are hunted, divided, sold, eaten, and medicated at a time, and made into specimens and handicrafts. Some cases actually occurred after the state promulgated the "wild animal fasting order", which is a crime against the wind.
Vulture specimen
Surveys show that at least 4 species of vultures were rescued in 2020, and finally only about 37% of the individuals were able to return to nature, and the rest were sent to zoos or forest parks.
For a long time, vultures have been filled with misunderstanding, contempt, fear and ignorance, believing that they are bloody, dirty, ugly, dangerous, always accompanied by slaughter, fighting, death and decay, and are the propagators of disease or germs... In short, people ignore the situation of vultures, even if they know that they are indisputable and difficult to survive, they often stay away. In the post-pandemic era, more and more people are beginning to reflect on the relationship between man and nature. Hopefully, taking this as an opportunity, vultures can get more attention and protection, and get out of the existential crisis as soon as possible...
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