Unlike many bird species, scavenger vultures are not seen as “heroes” of nature, even though their role is just as essential. Many consider them sinister birds and associate them with death, while others, out of ignorance, believe they are dangerous to humans and livestock. In reality, vultures are harmless and do not hunt live animals.

In Romania, vultures gradually disappeared during the 20th century due to hunting, the reduction of food sources, and habitat destruction.

But why is their disappearance a bad thing? “Because nature needs all animals” answered Naomi, a girl only 5 years old. A simple yet surprising reply, showing that sometimes children understand the importance of vultures better than many adults.

This month we celebrated International Vulture Awareness Day, and on this occasion we dedicated the first environmental education activity of this school year to these misunderstood creatures.

Kindergarten children did not see them as ugly, dangerous, or insignificant. On the contrary, they listened attentively to stories about what makes them different from other birds: their unique features, feeding and mating habits, and the way they raise their chicks.

We learned to “fly” like vultures, we colored, and we discovered together their extremely important role: as “nature’s clean-up crew,” birds that quickly remove animal carcasses—sources that could otherwise spread disease.