First encounter with a vulture's beak

After falling into a deep sleep for more than 10 hours, I woke up by the wonderful South African sun shining in my room. And the cute Dikkop "Spotty" welcomed me infront of my door.Most of the day the sun was hiding behind a light cloud layer and it became very sticky, but it was wonderful warm. Can't believe I left Germany after one week with temperature of -10 to -20 degrees! ;-)
Next to the vulture's restaurant I met a Marabou Stork stalking on the grass and the vultures in their enclosures were gorgeous. In the morning my first practical test, driving with the huge VulPro pick-up, shift gearbox, dirt road and driving on the "wrong" side of the road... We got a message from a farmer that there is a dead cow and I don't like to keep the vultures waiting for their lunch. Fortunately I just had to drive straight on the dirt road next to the vulture centre, maybe 15 minutes, to the farm. Suprisingly I got used to driving the pick-up very soon - after trying to change gears with my right hand and grasp at nothing ;-) With help of two farm workers we finally made it to lay the cow down on the loading platform of our pick-up and drove back to the centre - view of two hooves in the side mirrow. ;-)
I am sure I never had such an extraordinary cargo in my life! Just missed the hungry wild vultures circling over my car... but they suddenly arrived at the vulture's restaurant at the same time like me! We dumped the cow next to the Cape Vultures breeding enclosure in the vulture's restaurant and cut the cow into big pieces. Delicious!!! Really interesting, which parts of the cow's body appeared and oozed out when we cut the skin ;-) And all the time more than 20 excited vultures watching us with hungry eyes!
One big part of the cow was given to the Cape Vulture's breeding enclosure,
one part to the big enclosure with Cape Vultures, White-backed Vultures an the Lapped-faced Vulture's couple and the bloody bunch of insides stayed in the vulture's restaurant. Furthermore we put some piglets from yesterday to the smaller enclosures (Andean Condor, Palm-nut Vultures) and some dead cicks to the owls, the birds of prey and the Dikkop (to me this cute chicken looked like a granivore to me, not like a cannibal)... Don't know if I will be happy anymore to see him waiting next to my door for me in the morning... propably it's a killer-chicken!? This Dikkop is called "Spotty" and his buddy's name inside a little enclosure is "Speedy".
In this centre everything we try to recycle and use as much as possible, even the little, dead chick we found on the ground. The Bateleur Eagle were very happy about this delicious food and I was allowed to feed them by hand! To recover the half-blind Lapped-faced Vulture got some meat cut into beak-sized pieces plus eyedrops. From now on he will get eyedrops twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. He will never be able to use his left eye again, but hopefully we can heal the infection of his sore eye.
Of course the vultures were very happy about their holiday roast and gorged gaggles, fizzlings and hizzlings filled the air. The wild vultures and many kites were circling in the sky and came down to the vulture's restaurant. Carrion go!!!
We are helping each other all the time and whenever there are some jobs to do we do it. Cleaning the enclosures, collecting carcasses, cutting carcasses into pieces, skilled manual work, gardening, trying to build a shelf out of plywood boards,...
And everytime you like to relax for a minute, the Dikkop is coming next to you, a dog snuggles your leg or a horse licks your face, great fun!!!
And to all the people who bet some of my extremities will be missing when I come back to Germany: Yes, I already got bitten by a vulture! When I carryed that bloody, fat piece of cow under my arm to the Cape Vulture breeding enclosure, all the vultures sharpened their beaks. Unfortunately also the vulture who was hiding in the corner next to the door. I guess he liked the blood on my gloves, too, 'cause when I tryed to open the door of the enclosure he bit my hand. Scamp! But I am fine, just a tiny bruise and some scratches. ;-)
Can't wait to see what adventures and surprises all about my beloved poultry are waiting for me!!!