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LOL, your farmer friend is filling your pockets with cow pies.
#1- Vultures do not "attack" anything. They are not capable of killing, since they have feet like a chicken. They cannot clutch and squeeze like an owl, hawk, or eagle can.
#2- Yes, all birds of prey are Federally protected.
#3- Vultures are not "predators". They are scavengers, and only eat dead, rotting animal carcasses.
NASA you are mistaken on this one my friend. Black vultures are notorious for killing calves among other things. They often kill a calf before it even hits the ground. They will eat the butt out of the cow at times as well as the womb which ends up killing the cow. The calf will have its eyes eaten first and then killed.
You were right about the black vultures being protected though.
Just so you know I am not talking through my hat, here is the documentation.
http://www.sheepusa.org/index.phtml?page...50204e02a47725c
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The black vulture has a very broad diet (Buckley, 1999). Unlike most other vultures, it will subdue, capture and eat live prey, including birds (Baynard, 1909), skunks and opossums (McIhenny, 1939; Dickerson, 1983), turtle hatchlings (Mrosovsky, 1971) and fish (Jackson et al., 1978), and livestock (Lowney, 1999).
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In Virginia, 115 incidents of black vulture interactions with 1037 livestock animals were recorded during 1990-1996 (Lowney, 1999). Vultures disabled young lambs and calves by first pecking out their eyes and then attacking vulnerable soft parts (rectum, genitals, nose). Cows giving birth were attacked in a similar manner. The prey animals were attacked by groups of 20 to 60 vultures.
At a cattle ranch in central Florida, our investigations showed that both black and turkey vultures focused their activities in pastures where active calving was occurring. Both species of vulture were frequently observed feeding on afterbirth as well as on fresh droppings from calves. At this ranch, we also observed two depredation incidents, four months apart, and one attempted depredation. In each depredation event, the calf was dead and the heifer was alive. There were 20 to 40 black vultures feeding on the dead calves and attacking the heifers when we arrived. Possibly, the calves were stillborn, but it is also possible that black vultures killed them. Each of the heifers was unable to stand and each was euthanized by the rancher because of injuries inflicted by the vultures. During the attempted depredation, we videotaped three black vultures as they repeatedly pecked at the hooves of a calf as it was being born. This cow was able to get up and chase the birds off, however, and she later gave birth without incident
There are control options if permitted.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/livestock/410-030/410-030.html#L5
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Vultures are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Vultures may be harassed without federal permits, but they can only be killed after obtaining a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Harassment (nonlethal scaring tactics) is considered to be anything except trying to kill, injure, trap, or capture the animals. Producers must document their attempts to deter damage through harassment as a prerequisite of the permitting process.
