The City of San Antonio’s Solid Waste Management Department celebrates the Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture for their vital contribution to our ecosystem. At SWMD, our hardworking team of garbage collectors pick up trash, recycling and organic waste for San Antonio residents and strive to keep our city clean and healthy.
How does the wildlife around us keep their habitat clean and healthy, though? The Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture take on this important role for nature by feeding on mostly carrion. With a highly developed sense of smell, these vultures can locate dead animals from great distances. In addition to their sense of smell, they also possess a strong stomach, which is extremely acidic. The acidity in their stomach allows them to digest just about anything, even carcasses tainted with anthrax, tuberculosis and rabies without getting sick. These vultures provide an essential service for the health of the ecosystems. Without them, carcasses would accumulate and diseases would spread from rotting flesh. From the land garbage collectors, we thank the flying garbage collectors!