News Animals

Fewer scavengers could mean more zoonotic disease

Without big scavengers, smaller ones — and the diseases they spread — could proliferate

A turkey vulture, a scavenging bird

The ecosystem service that scavengers like this turkey vulture provide could help prevent the spread of disease from animals to people.

Jon Nelson/Flickr

By Bethany Brookshire

Scavengers often get a bad rap — hyena giggles are nefarious, crows gather in “murders” and the naked necks of vultures speak for themselves. But the bodies of the dead don’t just disappear.