Vulture Week 19-27 November 2016
The Cinderellas
of the Bushveld
Imagine no cleaning machine for the bush
No Municipal refuse pick-up once a week
All dead animals lie – just where they died
What a ghastly sight!
Not even to think about the pungent stench
Strong enough to knock you off a bench
Anthrax, Rabies and various other diseases
Spread quicker than wildfire
The Situation so dire
But wait!
There is this really great group of birds
Slowly getting pushed off the grid,
That cleans up and stop this mess
Most are bald so that blood don’t clot their feathers
And they smell a carcass from over yonder
Quickly they clean up the bush
Flesh devoured in no time, bones crushed
It should make you to ponder
The important role of vultures
They’re all endangered, some more than others
If we don’t act now
The scenario above might be our future
Riana Odendaal
November 2016
