Black Vulture's taste for rubber
Recently I visited Conowingo Dam in Maryland, USA. As I arrived at the parking area I was taken aback by the presence of hundreds of Black Vultures, some on the ground, some on tree tops and quite a few on top of parked cars chewing away rubber seals around the car doors/windows and also wiper blades. They weren't eating the rubber - they were simply tearing them apart. After doing some online research I found out that there's no definitive conclusion as to why they exhibit this behavior. One seems to provide the most plausible explanation - the texture of rubber on cars is very similar to the skin of dead animals. The vultures were simply honing their skills on something that was readily available. There are signs at the park warning people of cars damaged by vultures. Some visitors even came prepared, they covered their car with tarp. I moved my rental car further down where there were more people and less vultures. I wonder what's next. Tires perhaps? If that happens, Nature's Cleaning Crew's taste for car rubber will not go well with humans. Conowingo Dam, Maryland, USA.
Black Vulture's taste for rubber
Recently I visited Conowingo Dam in Maryland, USA. As I arrived at the parking area I was taken aback by the presence of hundreds of Black Vultures, some on the ground, some on tree tops and quite a few on top of parked cars chewing away rubber seals around the car doors/windows and also wiper blades. They weren't eating the rubber - they were simply tearing them apart. After doing some online research I found out that there's no definitive conclusion as to why they exhibit this behavior. One seems to provide the most plausible explanation - the texture of rubber on cars is very similar to the skin of dead animals. The vultures were simply honing their skills on something that was readily available. There are signs at the park warning people of cars damaged by vultures. Some visitors even came prepared, they covered their car with tarp. I moved my rental car further down where there were more people and less vultures. I wonder what's next. Tires perhaps? If that happens, Nature's Cleaning Crew's taste for car rubber will not go well with humans. Conowingo Dam, Maryland, USA.