Why I love vultures
1,252,408 views | Munir Virani • TED@Nairobi
As natural garbage collectors, vultures are vital to our ecosystem -- so why all the bad press? Why are so many in danger of extinction? Raptor biologist Munir Virani says we need to pay more attention to these unique and misunderstood creatures, to change our perception and save the vultures.
As natural garbage collectors, vultures are vital to our ecosystem -- so why all the bad press? Why are so many in danger of extinction? Raptor biologist Munir Virani says we need to pay more attention to these unique and misunderstood creatures, to change our perception and save the vultures.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Join the movement to save endangered vultures.
About the speaker
Munir Virani is a raptor biologist and wildlife photographer, and Director of the Peregrine Fund Africa Program, devoted to conserving birds of prey.
Ruth E. Tingay and Todd E. Katzner (Editors) | Cornell University Press, 2010 | Book
The Eagle Watchers
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The collapse of vulture populations in South Asia
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Neck-drooping posture of Oriental white-backed vultures (Gyps bengalensis) in close proximity to human observers
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Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal
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Hail the Vulture, the Mr. Clean of East Africa
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Diclofenac residues as the cause of vulture population decline in Pakistan
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Vet drug responsible for population decline of white-backed vultures in Pakistan
Corinne Kendall and Munir Virani | Journal of Raptor Research, 2012 | Article
Assessing mortality of African vultures using wing tags and GSM-GPS transmitters
Corinne Kendall et al. | The Condor, 2012 | Article
Mechanisms of coexistence in vultures: Understanding the patterns of vulture abundance at carcasses in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Jeff Johnson et al. | Biological Conservation, September 2008 | Article
Temporal genetic analysis of the critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture in Pakistan
Martin Gilbert et al. | Bird Conservation International, December 2002 | Article
Breeding and mortality of Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in Punjab Province, Pakistan
Rob Davies and Munir Virani | SWARA, Summer 2012 | Article
Click and log a raptor: New hi-tech mapping device for Africa
Andre Botha et al. | April 2012 | Article
Proceedings of the Pan-African Vulture Summit 2012
Hem Sagar Baral et al. | Raptors Worldwide, 2004 | Article
On the decline of Oriental white-backed vultures (Gyps bengalensis) in lowland Nepal
Mark Anderson and Peter Mundy | South African Journal of Science, September/October 2001 | Article
The demise of vultures in southern Asia: Mortality factors and a risk to African vultures?
The Peregrine Fund, 2014 | Watch
The Maasai Mentors for Vulture Conservation
The Peregrine Fund, 2013 | Watch
Battling Rain in the Himalayas
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Join the movement to save endangered vultures.