The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Sharp Increase in the Number of Vultures Brought Into Rehabilitation in China in 2020 and 2021

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19, which lasted more than two years, negatively impacted humanity at large. In the post-pandemic era, some people began to analyze the so-called “anthropopause”, which seems to be perceived as a good thing for wildlife that brings it vitality. In fact, many animals are at a loss because of quarantine measures, especially those scavengers who rely on human-produced garbage to survive. More corpses are recycled, buried, or burned, making the environment cleaner. Moreover, people have entered an era of low consumption, trapped at home and facing production stagnation, some consumption is almost at zero. Here, we analyze 253 cases of vultures rescued from the wild in at least 25 provinces (74% of the provinces in China) during 2010–2021. In this period more than half of the rescue cases were caused by hunger, as vultures are facing unexpected difficulties. Four vulture species have been affected by a sudden decrease in food availability caused by restricted human activity following Covid-19 pandemic.