Recently, in a surgical room at a hospital in the capital city of Brasília, Brazil, a patient became worried when he saw a pair of vultures outside the window. Vultures are scavenger birds that feed on animal carcasses, often associated with death.
According to a report by “Newsweek,” Pedro, an employee at the Base Hospital in Brasília, shared a photograph on Reddit under the username u/drpedrico. The photo captured the moment when Pedro saw the vultures while on duty, gazing out of the window.
Pedro wrote, “Today, two vultures appeared outside the surgical center where I work. A patient mentioned he was scared. They seemed like they were waiting for him to die.”
Pedro shared with the magazine, “I found it quite interesting. The size of these birds impressed me, it’s not often that I see wild animals up close like this.”
While Pedro was amazed by the sight, reactions from others varied. He mentioned, “Some nurses were scared. The patients felt a bit anxious, but most of the time, we were just making jokes.”
Pedro downplayed the patient’s fear upon seeing the vultures. He explained, “The patient wasn’t actually scared, just a bit anxious. In the end, he even joked about it.”
Fortunately, the two vultures didn’t linger for too long. Pedro said they flew away within a day.
The association between vultures and death can be traced back to the Bible. The Gospel of Luke in the Bible quotes Jesus saying, “Where there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
From a scientific perspective, vultures have a unique sense of smell that attracts them to dead animals. This sense helps them locate decaying flesh.
Paul Wolterbeek, a volunteer project coordinator at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Arizona, told Live Science that vultures detect the sulfur compounds in decaying flesh from high altitudes and spiral down to locate the source of the scent.
According to National Geographic, most vultures are scavengers that primarily feed on carrion. Their role in cleaning up corpses is crucial for humans. By consuming decaying remains, vultures help prevent foul odors, significantly reduce carbon emissions, and eliminate bacteria like botulism that may be released during the decomposition process.
Vultures possess adaptability that other animals lack, enabling them to digest rotting food. They are believed to have a strong immunity to pathogens that can sicken or kill other animals. With powerful stomach acids, they can destroy dangerous bacteria and extract nutrients from their food.
Some vultures have featherless heads and necks, which helps in keeping them clean during feeding on carcasses by minimizing blood contamination, making them more hygienic than their feathered counterparts.