Latest news with #scavenger
CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Bearded vultures: Back from the brink
Bearded vultures have a wing span up to 2.85 meters (9.3 feet) allowing them to hunt over 700 kilometers (435 miles) in a day. The feathers on their neck, head and torso are naturally white, but they dye them orange by covering themselves in the iron oxide-rich mud found in the mountains and highlands where they live. However, their name comes from the distinctive black tuft of feathers under their beak. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation Bearded vultures are scavengers, and up to 85% of their diet is bone. Historically, they were called 'ossifrage,' derived from the Latin for 'bone breaker.' They mostly swallow bones whole, their strong stomach acid breaking them down, but if a bone is too big, they will drop it from height onto a rock to break it and expose the nutrient rich marrow inside. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation While Alpine farmers no longer blame the vultures for missing sheep, or children, the birds are still threatened. Accidental poisoning through eating animal carcasses containing drugs, pathogens or steroids, collisions with power lines and wind turbines and habitat degradation have reduced the global population — which spans from western Spain to China — by as much as 29% in the last three generations. Exacerbating this problem is their slow breeding rate. A breeding pair will only lay one or two eggs a year, and even if both hatch, the stronger chick will kill its weaker sibling. Here, a bearded vulture in the wild shows off its name-sake feathers. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation Initial attempts by conservationists to reintroduce the bearded vulture involved capturing birds in Afghanistan and releasing them in the Alps, but the project failed due to the difficulty in capturing and transporting the birds. However, in 1986, three birds that had been raised in captivity at a center in Austria were released successfully in the country's mountains, leading to a flurry of further releases across the Alps. The young birds are put in artificial nests on cliffs, enabling them to acclimatize to the new environment, and after 20 to 30 days they take their first flight. Young bearded vultures are known for traveling vast distances. In 2020, one bird flew 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Haute-Savoie in the French Alps to the Peak District in the north of England. Regardless of how far they roam, when they reach adulthood, they typically return home. Here, conservationists climb to a release site in the Bavarian Alps in June, 2021. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation The Alpine population is increasing 'exponentially,' José Tavares, director of the Vulture Conservation Foundation, told CNN. Now that the population is stable, the team have started releasing genetically distinct birds to increase the diversity of the population so 'they're fully equipped to survive, even in a period of climate change.' Pictured here, a captive-bred chick at Vallcalent Specialized Breeding Unit in Spain. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation While releases in the Alps are winding down as the population grows naturally, the VCF is working on 'replication and expansion' projects in Valencia and Andalucia in Spain, the Massif Central in France, and the Balkans, as well as possible projects in North Africa, said Tavares. Here, a bearded vulture is photographed among griffon vultures in the Spanish Catalan Pyrenees. William Van Hecke/Corbis/Getty Images Another conservation project in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains of Lesotho and South Africa is working to save the last bearded vultures in the southern hemisphere. The Bearded Vulture Recovery Program did not have a captive breeding program when it started, so instead, when a vulture lays two eggs, the team takes the second egg from the nest, which would be killed by its sibling anyway, and raises the chicks in captivity before releasing them. They are now raising 27 birds in captivity and aim to reach 150 breeding pairs in the wild. With these global conservation efforts, there is hope that bearded vultures will continue to soar across mountains all over the world. Pictured here, a bearded vulture in flight in Giant's Castle Game Reserve, South Africa. Education Images/Universal Images
CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Bearded vultures: Back from the brink
Bearded vultures have a wing span up to 2.85 meters (9.3 feet) allowing them to hunt over 700 kilometers (435 miles) in a day. The feathers on their neck, head and torso are naturally white, but they dye them orange by covering themselves in the iron oxide-rich mud found in the mountains and highlands where they live. However, their name comes from the distinctive black tuft of feathers under their beak. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation Bearded vultures are scavengers, and up to 85% of their diet is bone. Historically, they were called 'ossifrage,' derived from the Latin for 'bone breaker.' They mostly swallow bones whole, their strong stomach acid breaking them down, but if a bone is too big, they will drop it from height onto a rock to break it and expose the nutrient rich marrow inside. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation While Alpine farmers no longer blame the vultures for missing sheep, or children, the birds are still threatened. Accidental poisoning through eating animal carcasses containing drugs, pathogens or steroids, collisions with power lines and wind turbines and habitat degradation have reduced the global population — which spans from western Spain to China — by as much as 29% in the last three generations. Exacerbating this problem is their slow breeding rate. A breeding pair will only lay one or two eggs a year, and even if both hatch, the stronger chick will kill its weaker sibling. Here, a bearded vulture in the wild shows off its name-sake feathers. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation Initial attempts by conservationists to reintroduce the bearded vulture involved capturing birds in Afghanistan and releasing them in the Alps, but the project failed due to the difficulty in capturing and transporting the birds. However, in 1986, three birds that had been raised in captivity at a center in Austria were released successfully in the country's mountains, leading to a flurry of further releases across the Alps. The young birds are put in artificial nests on cliffs, enabling them to acclimatize to the new environment, and after 20 to 30 days they take their first flight. Young bearded vultures are known for traveling vast distances. In 2020, one bird flew 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Haute-Savoie in the French Alps to the Peak District in the north of England. Regardless of how far they roam, when they reach adulthood, they typically return home. Here, conservationists climb to a release site in the Bavarian Alps in June, 2021. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation The Alpine population is increasing 'exponentially,' José Tavares, director of the Vulture Conservation Foundation, told CNN. Now that the population is stable, the team have started releasing genetically distinct birds to increase the diversity of the population so 'they're fully equipped to survive, even in a period of climate change.' Pictured here, a captive-bred chick at Vallcalent Specialized Breeding Unit in Spain. Hansruedi Weyrich/Vulture Conservation Foundation While releases in the Alps are winding down as the population grows naturally, the VCF is working on 'replication and expansion' projects in Valencia and Andalucia in Spain, the Massif Central in France, and the Balkans, as well as possible projects in North Africa, said Tavares. Here, a bearded vulture is photographed among griffon vultures in the Spanish Catalan Pyrenees. William Van Hecke/Corbis/Getty Images Another conservation project in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains of Lesotho and South Africa is working to save the last bearded vultures in the southern hemisphere. The Bearded Vulture Recovery Program did not have a captive breeding program when it started, so instead, when a vulture lays two eggs, the team takes the second egg from the nest, which would be killed by its sibling anyway, and raises the chicks in captivity before releasing them. They are now raising 27 birds in captivity and aim to reach 150 breeding pairs in the wild. With these global conservation efforts, there is hope that bearded vultures will continue to soar across mountains all over the world. Pictured here, a bearded vulture in flight in Giant's Castle Game Reserve, South Africa. Education Images/Universal Images
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aaron Taylor-Johnson shows off his wacky new look as he poses up a storm with Jodie Comer at the London photo call for 28 Years Later
Aaron Taylor-Johnson showed off his wacky new look as he posed up a storm with Jodie Comer at a photo call for 28 Years Later. The Kick-Ass star, 35, who plays scavenger Jamie in the latest film in the franchise, was joined by the cast in London on Monday. And he displayed his rugged new look as he arrived sporting long curly auburn locks with a full beard and moustache. Aaron looked stylish in a pair of grey high-waisted paperbag trousers with a black t-shirt and a leather jacket, as well as huge aviator sunglasses. He was joined by Killing Eve star Jodie, 32, who oozed sophistication in a black flared wide-leg jumpsuit. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Jodie paired the statement jumpsuit with black oval sunglasses and open-toed sandals, with her blonde locks styled straight. Also in attendance for the photo was director Danny Boyle, who kept it casual in black trousers and a t-shirt, with a blue blazer and white trainers. Ralph Fiennes made an appearance and looked trim in a navy pinstripe suit with a grey button-up shirt and leather shoes. The much-anticipated release of 28 Years Later is just weeks away, with fans left waiting two decades to discover the next instalment in the film series. And with the nation devastated by the Rage virus nearly three decades ago, this new film - released June 19 - will show insight into the vastly different ways humanity has adapted to survive. For one such community, this means complete isolation from the outside world, and in a new clip ahead of the film's premiere, star Aaron shares insight into this new addition to the 28 Days Later universe for the first time. In this new land, known as The Holy Island, humans are entirely self-sufficient, and only leave the community to hunt on the mainland, when the tide is low. Aaron plays Jamie a scavenger who is tasked with training his Spike to survive in the wilderness, before they embark on a deadly mission to the mainland. Aaron looked stylish in a pair of grey high-waisted paperbag trousers with a black t-shirt and a leather jacket, as well as huge aviator sunglasses He was joined by Killing Eve star Jodie, 32, who oozed sophistication in a black flared wide-leg jumpsuit Jodie opted to style her blonde locks straight for the photo call as she posed for snaps Just a matter of weeks ago the Hollywood star signed a deal making him a global ambassador for luxury watch brand Omega - which fans were sure was a major hint he could be the next actor to don the iconic tux of 007. Omega have been the watch providers of the franchise for more than 30 years, with Pierce Brosnan the first Bond actor to wear an Omega watch during GoldenEye. After signing the deal, Aaron said: 'I have always had an appreciation for timepieces but especially for Omega. 'Now, after visiting the factory, I am in awe of the skill required to manufacture such a luxurious product.' Omega's CEO described Aaron as a 'versatile actor with a range that covers action, thriller, romance and much more'. It's precisely those qualities - and his striking good looks - that have led to the actor's strong links to Bond. Aaron has been considered a frontrunner to become the next 007 since Daniel Craig relinquished the role with the 2021 film No Time To Die. In fact the actor was actually believed to have been former Bond producer Barbara Broccoli's ideal candidate before the franchise was purchased by Amazon. Ralph Fiennes made an appearance and looked trim in a navy pinstripe suit with a grey button-up shirt and leather shoes The release of 28 Years Later is just weeks away, with fans left waiting two decades to discover the next instalment in the franchise Aaron has repeatedly played it cool when asked about the possibility of him succeeding Craig however. 'It's not really for me to say anything,' he told Esquire when quizzed about speculation. But he's even been tipped for the role by former Bond star Pierce Brosnan. After being asked about the possibility of Aaron playing the part during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross show a few weeks ago, the 72-year-old said: 'I think he would make a very fine Bond. 'He was actually in one of the movies I made called The Greatest. This young man we cast as The Greatest. 'He was so impressive then. He just had this charisma, he had this presence... he would be so good. But there's many men on the list, I'm sure.' In the latest bookies' odds for the role however, Aaron has been pipped at the top by two British stars. The current favourite to become the next Bond is none other than The Divergent series star Theo James, 40, who is currently 6/4. Second favourite to become the latest actor 'with a license to kill', according to Ladbrokes, is Superman star Henry Cavill (3/1), ahead of Aaron in third (7/2).
