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The expanding range of the black vulture

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Overall, vultures help remove dead animals that could become sources of disease. However, unlike the redheaded vulture, the black vulture does frequently kill vulnerable animals, -- newborns or laboring females and offspring at delivery. Good practices are to move these susceptible farm animals to safer locations or provide shelter.

The range of black vultures is expanding rapidly across the south and creating problems for homes and also for parked automobiles. They eat roofing material on houses and destroy vinyl features, windshield wipers and even harm tires of parked vehicles. Some parks and boat landings now loan visitors vulture prevention packets of tarps and bungee cords. All vultures are protected by federal migratory birds laws – no shooting or poisoning them. If you search wildlife control training.com you can find practical and legal ways to dissuade these birds from harming your property.

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.