Last Tuesday, in the town of Berriz, a hundred vultures attacked and killed a newborn foal in a matter of seconds. This event has caused astonishment and surprise, as popular imagination holds that these birds are scavengers and, therefore, do not attack live animals.
However, the department of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the Bizkaia Provincial Council has clarified that such incidents "are very common." They pointed out, by way of example, that when a cow gives birth, extreme precautions are taken to protect the calf and prevent it from being eaten by these birds.
“"It is not uncommon for vultures to attack newborns. That is why, when a cow gives birth, extreme precautions are taken to protect the calf and prevent it from being eaten."
The department added that the exact circumstances of the attack in Berriz have not yet been clarified, and it is not known for certain if the animal was already dead when it was surrounded by the vultures. In June of last year, the agricultural union Enba reported that these attacks "are occurring with increasing frequency" and that the "overpopulation of vultures is causing a change in their habits, turning them into predatory animals."
According to the union, the "overfeeding" over the years has led to an excessive increase in the vulture population, and the current capacity for carrion production is not enough to sustain it. Natural deaths of wild and domestic animals are insufficient to support the existing vulture population.
