33 dead vultures dumped in Great Smoky Mountains spur investigation [View all]
An investigation is underway after more than 30 dead vultures were found dumped along a roadway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park last month, according to the National Park Service.
Park officials said rangers discovered 33 dead black vultures along the side of Foothills Parkway West in Tennessee on April 6 at approximately noon local time. The birds were found between Chilhowee and Walland, according to a May 5 park service release.
The black vulture is federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, making it illegal to harm or kill the birds without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"Dumping of anything in a national park is illegal," park officials said in the release.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/07/dead-vultures-great-smoky-mountain-national-park-investigation/89977056007/?tbref=hp
Look, y'all. Vultures may be ugly, but they serve a very useful purpose. As my late Israeli friend, who had made quite a study of them, once said, "Think how bad the world would smell if not for them. Nobody loves a garbageman."
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