115 | VICTORIA FALLS SAFARI LODGE MAINTAINS A VULTURE RESTAURANT

115

VICTORIA FALLS SAFARI LODGE HELPS GIVING FEATHERED SCAVENGERS WINGS

by maintaining a vulture restaurant

Photos and text by Stefan Rust

2013

(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belong to Stefan Rust)

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe feeds vultures and Marabou Storks on a daily basis with offal meat, exactly at one o’clock, thereby contributing to the conservation of Zimbabwe’s feathered scavengers.

Highly specialized animals as vultures are the ones always at risk when people interfere with nature, and the vultures’ availability of food – the carcasses – is largely decreased in southern Africa as almost allover the world.

One of the biggest challenges facing the conservation of vulture species is the need to supply sufficient and empoisoned food for them, a task made difficult by intensive farming practices.

     

Zulu puts out pieces of meet and bones every day at precisely one o'clock 

The role of vulture restaurants in vulture conservation is receiving considerable attention from conservationists because most vulture species are endangered. But the lodge guests also pay attention. While enjoying lunch on the lodges’ deck, they can observe the feeding spectacle at the vulture restaurant below the deck. It is estimated that about 150 Hooded Vultures visit this vulture restaurant every day. An open space on the ground close to the lodge restaurant and with a vulture friendly waterhole nearby, for them to take a drink and a bath after the feeding frenzy, is provided for the endangered vultures.

   

The feeding spectacle lures many guests

BirdsConTour encourages and supports this vulture restaurant project by rewarding the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, situated about 4 km away from the marvelous Victoria Falls, on the 16^th of July with a two penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award.