Say hello to April’s Raptor of the Month
To some they might seem vile, but to the animal kingdom they're vital.
Black Eagle Project Roodekrans photographer, Johann van den Berg, has chosen his Raptor of the Month for April, with the vulture being his bird of choice.
As a photographer for the BEPR, Johann is an avid follower of, and an important updater of the happenings with the Black Eagles which find refuge in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden. He is also an avid follower of birds in general, and every month he chooses one bird of prey to be his chosen Raptor of the Month for that month.
In Johann’s words, the vulture is best described as follows:
“Many people cringe at the mention of that word. They are considered disgusting at what they do, and to top it all, not good looking at all,” he said. “Yet, nature gave them a very special purpose. It gave them special digestive abilities, details of which I do not want to go into, but to put it bluntly, they are the garbage collectors, and they are very well-suited to their job.”
He also pointed out that vultures actually have a very important role within the animal kingdom. “Without them the world would be a worse place, disease-ridden, foul-smelling, and not very pleasant.”
He also requested that we don’t forget about them and the work they do. “Give a thought to our natural garbage collectors, thank them for what they are doing, and most of all, protect them.”
