Vinnie, the Turkey Vulture

Vinnie is a turkey vulture picked up from the floor of the Central Valley. We received a call from workers at a dairy who saw the bird walking around their feed lots. Vinnie had been shot in the wing and the broken bone had healed on its own. However in healing, the joint had frozen and he was unable to fly. Despite his handicap he had managed to survive on road-kill and carrion around the dairy for an untold number of weeks.

	He was thin but alert. When turkey vultures get upset, they cough up all the food in their crop in order to lighten their load so they can take flight. Keeping one in captivity, if it is stressed, can be a challenge. Vinnie was fortunately able to relax in his new home.
Vinnie

He lives in our 100-foot flight cage working a lot like a catfish does in a large aquarium. The food our hawks and eagles don't eat, he is ready to clean up for us. His beak, bald head, and heron-like talons provide valuable lessons in adaptation to students when he comes along on our bird of prey programs. His stinky breath and "harbinger of death" reputation always elicit "yucks" from the young students. However, once they learn of his "vacuum cleaner" function in nature's scheme of things, they come away with a better appreciation of just what a valuable asset he is to have around. As we say whenever someone is near him "You better look alive!"

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