Hello all just popping in to share some vulture conservation news via repost!
Sourced from VCF original post can be found on this site here! www.4vultures.org - I claim nothing I am only a messenger 
Bringing together the latest developments in vulture conservation and research from around the world the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group have published their latest biannual newsletter.
The IUCN Vulture Specialist Group
The Vulture Specialist Group is one of 140 Specialist Groups that along with a science-based network of more than 10,000 volunteer experts, Red List Authorities and Task Forces make up the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission (SSC), dedicated to delivery of actions that conserve nature.
The Vulture Specialist Group is made up of regional co-chairs with the Vulture Conservation Foundation Director José Tavares is co-chair of the Europe region.
Vulture Multi-species Action Plan
Since the publication of the last newsletter the Vulture Multi-species Action Plan, comprehensive strategic Action Plan covering the whole geographic ranges (128 countries) of 15 species of Old World vultures to promote concerted and collaborative international conservation actions, has been approved by the United Nation’s Convention on Migratory Species.
IUCN Green List
The IUCN’s Red List identifies particular species at risk of extinction and overall trends in extinction risk of particular taxa. However, warnings of imminent extinctions are not the only way to catalyse conservation efforts, however. The IUCN are currently developing an expansion of the Red List to include classifiers of conservation success that presents a road map on how to conserve a species and achieve its recovery. The Eurasian Griffon vulture and the bearded vulture are being tested for possible inclusion in a European context.
International Vulture Awareness Day 2018
A total of 110 organisations including conservation organisations, universities, nature reserves, state parks, wildlife parks, zoos and museums.registered activities for International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) 2018, from 26 different countries across five continents.
Africa
The Raptor Research Foundation Conference is being held in the Kruger National Park, S Africa between the 12-16th Nov and will include 25 vulture presentations, and sessions on raptor tagging and tracking best practice.
On the 1st August the South African Dept. Environmental Affairs hosted an initial stakeholder meeting in Pretoria to draft a National Vulture Conservation Action Plan (NVCAP) for South Africa – a first step to implementing the CMS Vulture MsAP which will hopefully be replicated in other southern African countries.
The first Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ) in Africa have been set up in Zambia with over 250,000 hectares secured through outreach amongst farm managers and land owners. These zones will focused on farm management practices, farmers and landowners in VSZs agree not to use poisons, follow guidance on appropriate use of chemicals and dispose carcasses in designated areas with restricted access.
Asia
In November 2017 six critically endangered white rumped vultures were released in Nepal and following on from this initial release 12 more were released in September, including the first ever eight captive-bred birds hatched at the Kasara Breeding Centre. The birds are all doing well, head to the SAVE website to follow their progress.
In the Sindh Province of Pakistan in June, the use of ketoprofen and aceclofenac was restricted around the main vulture colonies by the drug authority following letters and requests from WWF Pakistan. This move, it is hoped, will be the first step to a nation wide restriction on the use of the drugs. ,
Europe
Our work on the LIFE EuroSAP project revising and updating the Species Action Plans for the bearded and cinereous vultures saw them both being formally approved by the European Commission in May. A great result for vulture conservation in Europe.
Our Blog features daily items that shares the latest news from the Vulture Conservation Foundation’s work and the work of other projects and organisations across Europe.
North America
Researchers from West Virginia University, the United States Geological Survey and other organisations are working on flight behaviour of California Condors to inform risks they may face from wind energy development
South America
The Colombian Symposium of Ecology and Conservation of Raptors, Owls and New World Vultures, 3-7 th Dec 2018 will take place at the V Congreso Colombiano de Zoología in Bogota.
The next edition of the Vulture Specialist Group newsletter will be published in February 2019 and do feel free to submit items for inclusion to the editor or submit longer articles for inclusion in the Vulture Specialist Group Journal.
IUCN Vulture Specialist Group Newsletter September 2018
IVAD2018 - Oh hey I'm still here!!
I found my purpose in life back in 2014 and that was to help conserve and protect vultures. Welcome to IVAD2018!!
To start things off, I'm posting a moment I shared with a guest a few yrs back. the main blog will follow after.
Why vultures?
by ScarabsCorner, Apr 23, 2016, 7:16:43 PM
Journals / Personal
This was the question I received the other day
Person: Why vultures?
Me: Why not vultures?
Person: What do they do for me?
Me: Well they keep disease out of the environment and prevent carcass build up
Person: But how do they get rid of the disease?
Me: Well they have a body ph of 1 that's the equivalent of battery acid. This means their stomach acid can kill rabies, cholera, botulism, and anthrax. They also have many adaptations that keep them free of the same bacteria they are very clean birds
Person: Wow I never thought of that! I thought they were just birds. Thanks, I appreciate them now!
Me:
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Happy International Vulture Awareness Day everybody!!!
Today is a very special day for a wonderful yet disliked bird. The Vulture. Vultures are perhaps among the least beloved birds ever. when one thinks of this species most people associate them with being Ugly, bald, a symbol of death.
All these are what we see of nature’s undertakers. A bird that feeds on nothing but dead animals, makes frightening screeches if they're from the old world family of vultures. New world vultures only grunt and hiss as they have no vocal organs to make a variety of sounds with. Many have no beautiful feathers on its head. Some old world species have feathers on their head!
Around the world, vultures are in alot of trouble. In Africa, poachers will lace carcasses with poison vultures who come to clean up the mess.so that they don't give the location of the poachers away. These birds also get poached for their body parts under the false belief that they have some mystical power to them. which of course, is completely untrue! Another threat is lead poisoning. This many times ends up being fatal to the birds.
Infact, lead poisoning is what brought the California Condor to near extinction. When people hunt sometimes they will take what they want and then leave the discards in the woods/field etc. The vultures eat the remains of the meal, bullets included. This is why there is a movement to use non-lead ammunition.
And then there is the anti-inflammatory veterinary drug many farmers use Diclofenac. A drug banned in India due to the fact that it all but wiped out 99.9% of the vulture population. This caused an increase in the feral dog population which in turn brought an increase in the rabid dog population affecting both people and animals. Nepal, Iran, and Pakistan have also banned the drug. Unfortunately, it is still used in some places of the world- including the UK despite knowing the risks to the vulture populations starting to be on the rebound there!
There is no excuse for using that drug when a safer alternative is available - meloxicam.
Meloxicam affects cattle the same way as diclofenac, but is harmless for vultures.
It takes roughly 3 days for the drug anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac to kill a vulture and other birds of prey.
Meanwhile, in Asia, farmers are spreading pesticide and herbicide to protect their crops from pests. When the animals ingest them, they die. The poison, when ingested causes the vultures to get visceral gout, and die too. And all this has consequences. Without the top scavenger, carcasses rot away to the point where even the toughest scavengers cannot eat them.
One may ask why does this matter?
Well, you see, this results in the spread of disease and decay, infecting any animal and person nearby.
In Africa, tribal pastoralists lose their cattle to this plague. As the vultures die, so do the animals AND humans! All the Old World Vultures are critically endangered species, ousting the giant panda’s title of endangered species.
We in America should consider ourselves blessed since the turkey vulture and American black vulture populations are currently stable.
But how can I help? you ask,
You can make a difference! Spread the word on how important these birds truly are! Explain the threats they are facing and see them in a better light. They really aren't the villainized creatures of doom we make them out to be. Rather they are the earth's purifiers. Nature's custodial if you will.
We must fight to save the vultures: Here are some places you can donate to save these wonderful birds
www.vulpro.com/
iaate.org/
www.4vultures.org/
www.save-vultures.org/
www.birdlife.org/african-vultu…
and of course, www.hawk-conservancy.org/
I hope you will follow my lead and help spread the word about vultures. A world without vultures is truly something the world cannot afford to lose. Remember vultures are a keystone species!!!
lol hi ^^'
Anyhu hope everyone has been doing well, feel free to comment it would be great to hear from you! Though admittedly I will have to reply when I have a chance i.e good health day. As I've said before life with chronic illness is a biotch! But my service dog has made things alot easier so that's good I think
Titanic
Had four of the Titanic's watertight compartments had been breached, she would have stayed afloat. The iceberg sliced through six.
If the ship had hit the berg head-on, Titanic probably would have survived because of the strength of its bulkheads. Sadly this was not the case.
The fire in the coal bunker that was in progress when she left South Hampton weakened the structure of the ship. I.e ability to sustain the breach of its hull. It is believed the fire was discovered 3 weeks prior to her voyage, but ignored for fear of bad press, the iceberg - failed warnings, failure to slow down, foolish pride, poor visibility, poor judgement, mirage due to icy conditions, not enough lifeboats, weak rivets, the 6 bulkheads that were sliced open were all factors to her sinking.
Had the ship the SS Californian not ignored the distress signals from Titanic, more souls would have been saved.Instead, the Carpathia arrived 4 hrs later.
She had, however, had given warnings of the ice field ahead 19 hrs prior.
Of 2,223 passengers, 1,517 died that day. Only 705 people survived.
In retrospect, I feel like I could have gone more in-depth on what happened, but I think I condensed it in a decent way, while keeping true to what happened and honoring the memories of those lost in the tragic disaster.
-Katey
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HchZv…