* As if we don’t have enough problems…
Some cattle farms in southern Illinois have experienced attacks by black vultures, with one farm losing four cows.
Teresa Steckler, commercial agriculture educator at the University of Illinois Extension, said the vultures appear to be moving north in recent years and that Interstate 64 seems like the cutoff line.
Steckler said besides the reported cases, some farmers might not realize they are losing calves to attacks by the vultures. […]
Steckler said that the black vultures will use a coordinated attack to go after cattle, teaming up on a mother cow while others attack the calve from another direction. She said the attacks remind her of another predator, the hyena. […]
Steckler said the vultures will attack calves, adult cows and just about anything else. She said setting up Canada goose decoys could be a deterrent for the vultures. Additionally, Steckler said farmers should keep watch on their cattle and that the vultures are very brazen and will attack close to barns.
The birds also can recognize farm vehicles, Steckler said.
“They learn pretty quickly what your truck is like or your vehicle is like and they will fly off and wait until you leave, and they come right back,” Steckler said.
They’re also a protected species and can’t be killed.
* Public Radio…
Newborn calves are at the most risk, but Tretter said vultures have attacked and killed calves in his herd as old as two weeks.
University of Illinois Extension beef educator Teresa Steckler says she doesn’t remember vultures being active during past calving seasons.
Southern Illinois is at the northern point of the black vulture’s range in North America.
“Mike Madigan and the marauding vultures he controls?”
- Skeptic - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:14 am:
Puts a new spin on the term “Vulture Capitolist”, doesn’t it? /snark
- Old Shepherd - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:15 am:
First leprosy-carrying armadillos, now brazen vultures…we’re really screwed when the killer bees finally get here.
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:16 am:
“, said the vultures appear to be moving north in recent years and that Interstate 64 seems like the cutoff line.”
—
Well at least we can officially set the line where Central Illinois ends and Southern Illinois begins.
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:16 am:
Yet another illustration of having a vulture capitalist as governor.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:18 am:
They are rated as Least Concern on the endangered species list. Why are they Protected?
Maybe the calves need body armor? Vultures attack the calves eyes, so maybe some sort of head protection might be cost effective.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:18 am:
Sounds like the plot of a Alfred Hitchcock movie. Vultures attack. You can’t stop them because they are a protected species? That would be the newest wrinkle on a “Birds” remake.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:20 am:
Sounds like one of those biblical plagues befalling Little Egypt. What’s next? Boils? Locusts?
- lakeside - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:24 am:
–Maybe the calves need body armor?–
Time to arm the cows.
Plus, more moo-la for the gun lobby (sorry).
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:24 am:
–The birds also can recognize farm vehicles, Steckler said.
“They learn pretty quickly what your truck is like or your vehicle is like and they will fly off and wait until you leave, and they come right back,” Steckler said.–
So much for “bird brains.”
- Scamp640 - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:26 am:
Hah. I was going to make some snarky comment about a vulture capitalist causing harm not just in Southern Illinois, but across the state, but two others already beat me to it.
- Norseman - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:31 am:
This is about real birds. I thought it was a headline about Rauner cronies.
- walker - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:31 am:
Cattle dogs any deterrent?
- Indianbadger - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:32 am:
As a vegan, GO VULTURES!
- Retired Educator - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:34 am:
Has anyone asked the Speaker how he is controlling those birds? This has got to be Madigan’s fault, just ask the Governor.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:35 am:
A) Global warming.
2) Unlike their cousin the turkey vulture, black vultures nest on the ground, not in trees. One of their primary predators is — wait for it — bobcats.
Congratulations, Governor Rauner.
Footnote: Vultures still prefer carrion over the trouble of kiloing even a newborn calf. Some theorize that the decline in natural predators and use of humans to control wild game populations (leaving behind no carrion) might contribute to vultures pursuing live prey, including livestock. I am a little skeptical of thi line of reasoning, but there should be more research.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:37 am:
👆👆👆 Shouldn’t we just arm the cows with vultures so they can defend themselves?
- Anon221 - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:38 am:
Black vultures are protected because they are a migratory species. I spent some time in SW Ohio a few years ago, and that was the first time I had heard from farmers about black vultures killing calves. Here’s one website that gives some more detailed info, especially about hanging effigies - https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/operational-activities/SA_Vultures
- statehoss - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:38 am:
>attack the calve
I guess our agricultural heritage has receded pretty far into the recesses. The word they were looking for is calf.
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:41 am:
We need a vulture season. Bag limits much higher than bobcats.
- Happily Retired - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:45 am:
Wow, that is one scary story…
- Animal Lobbyist - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:50 am:
There is something to be said about the removal of natural predators from the ecosystem, like bobcats and coyotes, that could be leading to an increase of Black vulture populations. It is also possible that modern Ag practices with the reduction of vegetative buffer zones is causing an increase in hunting vs scavenging by Black vultures. Said buffer zones provide numerous benefits, one of them being a haven for other wildlife for vultures to hunt instead of going after larger prey, like calves.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:59 am:
Mmmm, veal.
- A guy - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:06 am:
===The birds also can recognize farm vehicles, Steckler said.==
Time to educate the calves then on how to “Run like a Deere”.
- Leigh John-Ella - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:14 am:
Bill Status of SB9000 100th General Assembly
Short Description: An Act concerning concealed vultures
Senate Sponsors
Sens. Schimpf, Rose
Synopsis As Introduced
Creates the Illinois Bovine Self-Protection from Winged Beasts Act. Provides that bovine, cattle, cows and other large, hoofed herd animals that fall within the greater northern range of the black vulture within the geographic boundaries of the State of Illinois shall have the right to carry concealed black vultures for the purpose of self-protection. Declares that protection of such bovine is a state responsibility. Pre-empts Home Rule Authority. Requires Illinois Department of Professional Regulation and Illinois Department of Agriculture to create a system of regulation and licensure within 90-days of the effective date of this act. Effective immediately.
Status: Snark
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:24 am:
Thomas Paine. This is my stomping ground. There is no shortage of bobcats in southern Illinois.
- Glengarry - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:44 am:
Madigan must have learned from the great Kazakh hawk hunters how to control his vultures. Scary.
- anonymous 2 - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:58 am:
Maybe BR should move in with the calves for a week and then provide us with mitigation plan.
- James Knell - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 12:25 pm:
anonymous 2 … Instead of a mitigation plan perhaps BR might provide the calves with a migration plan… to Iowa State.
- friendofthedevil - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 1:41 pm:
== What’s next? Boils? Locusts? ==
Gum ball trees
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 2:05 pm:
So are these “bad bad birds?”
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 3:30 pm:
@Blue Dog:
There are are only about 5000 bobcats in Illinois, 1 for every 5 square miles.
To put that in perspective, that is a total of 80 bobcats in all of Williamson County.
By contrast, raccoon populations are anywhere from 9 to 45 raccoons per square mile. I think the last figure i saw was around 10,000 raccoons in Williamson County.
Bobcats are great for vultures because — as I am sure you know being from Southern Illinois and all — bobcats are solitary hunters and gorge themselves, but they don’t return to their kill. That means that after they eat as much as they can eat of the raccoon, they leave everything else for the vulture, which would much rather eat bobcat leftovers than kill their own calves.
on another note, Rich: IDOT and county highway departments might want to look at their policies regarding roadkill clean-up and disposal.
Road kill is another prefered food source for black vultures, who often perch on light posts throughout the south. Leave the road kill for the vultures, and you mY well save a cow’s life.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:16 pm:
Thomas Paine it makes sense. We started allowing bobcats to be hunted and now we have hungry black vultures. People don’t eat bobcats. So what’s the point?
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:25 pm:
Thomas Paine. Your bobcat numbers are grossly off.
Until.1995, I never in my life encountered a bobcat in Javkson Co. Not a one. Now I literally have hundreds of sightings each year. As an avid trapper, I released 23′different cats in the last 2 years alone. Never has there been this many in the state. Particulary the southern part. This is where the vultures are. Just in the last few years.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 5:55 pm:
@Blue Dog Dem:
They aren’t my bobcat population numbers, they are Bruce Rauner’s numbers:
https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/Pages/Bobcat.aspx
1) Are you SURE you didnt catch the same cat 20 times?
B) Maybe its time to switch bait?
TP
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 6:30 pm:
TP. Love. Would rather discuss wildlife than.politics.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 7:32 pm:
If calves are being killed, what will happen to fawns? Figure lambs are at risk too.
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 7:34 pm:
Mares eat oats, goats eat oats and little lambies too.
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 9:10 pm:
I thought The Black Vultures was the name of the Guv’s MC.