Vomiting vultures invade $700K Florida vacation home
A New York couple's vacation house in West Palm Beach, Florida has been invaded by dozens of black vultures that are vomiting and defecating all over the property, which is shown in the video above.
"The smell is like a thousand rotting corpses," says homeowner Anthony Casimano in an interview with the Palm Beach Post.
Anthony Casimano and his wife, Siobhan, hoped that this home would be a destination for family vacations, but the swarm of vultures have been causing trouble since they purchased the house four months ago. The scene was described as a Hitchcock-like horror story with screens ripped apart and the entire property covered in feces and vomit.
The couple says that they fear it is not safe to bring their 2-year-old child to the vacation house and they are not able to enter the property because they fear the birds will attack.
Vultures are part of the local wildlife in this state and Casimano says that an elderly neighbour enjoys feeding them, which he suspects has encouraged the vultures to explore homes in the neighbourhood for food.
The B.C. SCPA says that vultures vomit as a defensive mechanism against predators. Vultures feed on rotting meat and their vomit is highly acid and foul-smelling, which can deter predators or burn them if they get too close.
The couple says at one point they were able to count "at least a hundred vultures" in their backyard and have spent at least $3,000 repairing the damages the birds have caused.
Vultures are legally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which was implemented to protect migratory birds. It states that a permit is needed to hunt, capture, or kill birds that are listed in this act, which means that the couple will need to apply for a permit to tackle the situation.
Sources: Palm Beach Post | B.C. SPCA
