FEATURE
“Superheroes of Nature: Interpreting Turkey Vultures” by Melissa Hill, introduced by Kylie Christian
Interpreter Brandon Lewis with Suli the turkey vulture. Photo courtesy of Melissa Hill.
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION:
Interpreting the unlovable is a powerful idea that is so relevant to the world around us today. Climate change, environmental disasters, conflict and all the things associated with such events can be tough to discuss, let alone interpret. Melissa Hill's approach to turkey vulture education at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a great example of stepping up to the challenge. It exemplifies innovative environmental interpretation and takes on a critical challenge facing conservation today: how to make the unappealing or misunderstood interesting, appealing or even inspiring?
The article demonstrates several pedagogical strategies highly relevant to contemporary environmental practice, such as, what environmental educators call "ambassador animals," who personify species and create emotional connections. This direct, experiential learning device can prove far more effective than abstract information alone. Ambassador animals, such as Suli the vulture, can transform audience attitudes through individual connections.
The "Superheroes of Nature" program also leverages cultural relevance and connective narrative reframing through the transformation of vultures from villains to heroes, which aligns with current best practices in science communication.
This program at Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which is based on evidence and scientific method, also reinforces key conservation messages. For example, Hill's account of the vultures' role in disease prevention and their direct contribution to an ecosystem’s health shows their broader ecological function. Also, Hill’s emphasis on the vultures' ability to neutralise pathogens, like botulism and anthrax, showcases real-world ecosystem services.
Importantly, the program’s methodology is scalable and transferrable through the creation of memorable, shareable experiences for visitors that can initiate a waterfall effect where educated visitors become informal ambassadors.
Today, environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and even the existence of the human race make the appreciation of all species essential. Hill's work with "unlovable" animals provides a model for environmental educators that can be replicated, demonstrating that evidence-based interpretation combined with direct animal encounters can fundamentally shift public perception.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Superheroes of Nature: Interpreting Turkey Vultures
By Melissa Hill
Show most people a photo of a turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and you will see them cringe and look away. What is so offensive about these birds? Sure, they have a bald red head, but so do a lot of humans! Okay, a few warts can be a bit unattractive. Is it the razor-sharp beak? Nah, lots of admired birds have that. Is it the diet of decaying critters that is so offensive? Probably. But the fact remains: Turkey vultures are some of the most important animals in their ecosystems. Yet because of their less-than-beautiful appearance and lifestyle, most humans despise them. At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West we are changing people’s minds about vultures one program at a time with incredible facts and a very charismatic spokesvulture named Suli. I never really thought about vultures until I began working with them in 1998. Until that point, they were just another species of birds that I had to learn the basics about for my ornithology class. It wasn’t until I met “Og” that all that changed. Og was an elderly turkey vulture who had a damaged wing and some missing talons. He was a sweet old man who was easy to work with and even easier to love. You could see the timid, gentle spirit in his eyes, so it was hard to think anyone could hate these incredible birds. Then I started working with a second turkey vulture, “Kern.” He was the complete opposite of Og. Instead of slowly and carefully stepping onto your glove, Kern would stand at the end of his leash pulling and tugging to get closer to you and to get closer to the soft spot on your arm that, when nibbled, made you emit the most adorable noise. These were the turkey vultures, polar opposites of each other, who made me love vultures. The interactions I had with Og and Kern quickly made turkey vultures my favorite birds and I wanted to learn more about them. So, naturally, I spent all my free time trying to learn everything I could about all the birds I was working with. Please note, this was before you could find everything on the internet, and good nonfiction books about vultures were essentially non-existent. This quest for gaining knowledge suddenly became an obsession for me and it has lasted 20 years!
Melissa Hill
An interpreter shows off Suli the turkey vulture for a group of visitors. Photo courtesy of Melissa Hill.
More than a decade after working with Og and Kern, I found myself creating a raptor education program from scratch. Of course, a turkey vulture was at the top of my list! After a few months I was contacted by a rehabber who knew how much I love vultures. She had taken in a baby turkey vulture who was not releasable and needed a permanent home. I was ecstatic! After convincing my boss (an eagle researcher and vulture skeptic) that we needed her, we started the paperwork. Our turkey vulture, whom we named Suli, finally arrived in September. When we mentioned that we had just gotten a turkey vulture, most people were intrigued and far fewer than I expected were repulsed. That being said, I was sure we had our work cut out for us to make our guests like, or at least appreciate, vultures and why they are important. I’ve always been drawn to the underdogs or less-liked animals like coyotes, ferrets, and vultures. Getting to teach friends or strangers about them is what I love most. However, just loving these critters doesn’t mean others share your opinion. A new obsession was born! How do I change people’s minds about these misunderstood and unloved critters? I used my passion and enthusiasm to describe amazing facts, dispel negative myths, and explain their importance in nature—that’s how. I will never win everyone over, but it’s amazing how information from a passionate educator and a live bird can change perspectives! When we started formal “shows” the next summer, I quickly learned that it really wasn’t that hard to inspire people to like turkey vultures. Let’s be honest, Suli did most of the work. While I would tell the story of this incredible species, Suli would “flirt” with some guests, batting her eyelashes and leaning closer to them. She let her personality as our clown shine through. People ate it up! When that didn’t win them over, Suli would wow the crowd by spreading her wings to soak up the sun. Few other birds show off their wingspans as readily as a vulture. Plus, they keep those wings spread out for long periods so guests can get all the pictures they want. Try getting a red-tailed hawk to do that! To top it all off, we have a group of vultures that roosts just four blocks away. I could direct folks to the roost if they wanted a guaranteed sighting of these amazing birds in the wild. After three or four years of changing perspectives about vultures through fun facts and up-close encounters with Suli, it was time for a change. Superheroes like Iron Man and Captain America were all the rage at the movie theater. Using the movies as inspiration, I created a 30-minute “Superheroes of Nature” show. The program highlights the amazing adaptations of birds of prey by comparing them to the superpowers of our favorite comic book heroes. The popularity of superheroes made it easy to get guests excited about the superheroes in nature. But what about a bird most people don’t like? How can we convince our audience turkey vultures truly are superheroes? It’s not all that difficult, actually.
Suli shows off her wingspan to the delight of guests. Photo courtesy of Melissa Hill.
After learning about the incredible visual abilities of the red-tailed hawk, the program’s presenter introduces the audience to the next star of the show: “Are there any super villains of nature?” As Suli enters the amphitheater, she is greeted by mostly boos. The moment the sunshine touches her wings, they burst open into a horaltic pose or a bout of flapping that changes the boos to ooohs and ahhhs. The audience isn’t won over yet, though. After a quick nod to the range of turkey vultures, the presenter begins to delve into why these birds are considered villains. The villain-to-hero transformation goes something like this: “When turkey vultures are circling it’s not because they are waiting for something to die. They are saving energy and can soar for six hours without flapping!” This gets a few impressed looks from audience members. “Still not convinced? Is your disgust perhaps because they can eat animals that have died and been lying in the hot sun for several days? Probably. But if the vultures don’t do it, who will? Vultures are nature’s clean-up crew, removing those smelly and unsightly dead things from the environment. Not every critter a vulture eats has been hit by a car, though. They often eat animals that die of diseases that would make you and me very sick. Turkey vulture stomach acid has a pH near zero. That’s more acidic than battery acid!”
The author and Suli get ready for a program. Photo courtesy of Melissa Hill.
Now we’re getting some noticeable reactions from the crowd. “This digestive system means turkey vultures can eat bodies contaminated by salmonella, botulism, cholera, and anthrax and not get sick themselves.” Here’s where the crowd starts to really be impressed. “Plus, when they consume the tainted meat, their digestive system kills the toxins inside the vulture’s body so it doesn’t pass through and come out the other end, returning to the environment to make other animals sick.” We’ve hooked them. This is a true superhero. At this point, the majority of the crowd now has a firm appreciation for the role of turkey vultures in the environment. Just to be safe, however, we end with the superpower that thrills children of all ages—their projectile vomiting defense! Disclaimer: I have never actually seen a vulture spew vomit six feet, as it is said they can do. I have, however, seen it projected a full three feet and that’s impressive enough for me. After all the fun and amazing facts have been dispensed, it’s time to send our vulture off the stage, not as the villain she came in as, but as a full-blown Superhero of Nature. Most people in the animal care industry have at least one animal they work with that the majority of humans just can’t see the value in because it isn’t “attractive.” Yet we can see the beauty in them. It is our job to find a way to help others see that beauty. Whether that means describing the incredible superpowers of a species, sharing our own stories of individual animals and their personalities, or letting the animals steal the spotlight and do most of the work themselves is completely up to us. But if we do it well, those folks we encounter will share that animal’s beauty with others who will share what they learned with even more people until all the so-called “unlovables” are appreciated for their inner beauty and the beauty they bring to the world.
