Recently a Giraffe died of natural causes and it was interesting to see the scavenging process unfold. The first couple of days were heavily overcast and presumably this curtailed vulture thermal activity somewhat. The Hyena did a bit of scavenging at night and opened up the carcass and started to extract some of the intestines via the anus. Eventually the vultures arrived and feeding started in earnest. Every night the hyena would return and we could hear them vocalising as it was within earshot of our house. The circling vulture activity as they descended to the site probably attracted our lion pride who arrived at the scene early the next morning. For some reason they were not keen to feed and soon moved off leaving the vultures to carry on in peace. Now a couple of days later all that remains is a small pile of skin and bones A juvenile White-backed Vulture plays king of the castle This position was constantly contested and here a Cape Vulture surveys the scene The smaller Hooded Vultures were not present for the first day or two but finally arrived and were allowed access Crops were getting full. Here a juvenile White-backed Vulture has managed to have a good feed An adult White-backed Vulture takes a break from the action Even this Hooded Vulture eventually has something to show for its efforts A Cape Vulture is about to enter the fray down below A blood soaked White-backed Vulture takes a break from the action It was very pleasing to see several Cape Vultures in attendance, more than I have seen on previous carcasses A Cape Vulture taking a break The Hooded Vultures did a lot of scavenging on the periphery away from the constant hustle and bustle closer to the carcass where there was ongoing jockeying for position and access A white-backed Vulture showing the patch that is not always visible Some final grooming of the primary feathers before take-off
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April 2024
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