The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!
Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. Uwe and I have spotted every single one over time. And yes, they are UGLY. It’s been my great pleasure to introduce you to them, one at a time. Today’s dubious honor goes to the vulture.
I was so fascinated by this description of vultures that I’m citing it here in full. First though I need to post a WARNING: Best not to be eating anything when you read this.
“They are big scavengers of the bush and often even help us locate kills and carcasses as they make their way down to a certain area. These animals play a vital role in our ecosystem by cleaning up all dead animal matter and preventing a very bad smell all around the bush. They gorge themselves when a carcass is available and are often seen going into a carcass and coming out completely covered in blood and guts as they devour as much as possible from the inside.
Once full they will hang around either on the ground or in trees and relax in a half-awake but half-asleep state to try and digest as much as possible. As they start moving away from the carcass covered in blood and guts people tend to think that they will have a terrible smell, but that is not the case as they are very serious about hygiene, believe it or not.
They will move to a nearby water source and take a well-deserved bath, cleaning all the blood from their feathers until they feel fresh and clean enough before carrying on again.” [1]
In other words, it’s not your diet that matters. It’s all about hygiene!
NOTES: [1] https://www.sabisabi.com © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.
I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include F
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