Bad Bet: Vultures Face Extinction in South Africa As Gamblers Smoke Their Brains

Vultures are disappearing in South Africa. This is not because of pollution or global warming or development. Vultures are disappearing because gamblers are literally smoking their brains. That’s right. Smoking their brains.


South Africans who follow traditional medicine believe that, when smoked and inhaled, the brain of a vulture gives you the gift of premonition. Gamblers are flocking to the vulture black market to get an edge on things like the national lottery.

Environmentalists fear that vultures will be decimated with the approach of the football World Cup in South Africa.

Hunters will often poison one bird to kill other vultures that feed on the carcass — killing hundreds at a time.

African healers prefer for the bird to be captured alive to remove the head while still leaving, but most Africans do not ask about such methods before lighting up.

For the full story, click here.

12 thoughts on “Bad Bet: Vultures Face Extinction in South Africa As Gamblers Smoke Their Brains”

  1. Gubsdell, have you ever been to Louisiana? The Cajuns there say with a whole lot of pride, “We’ll eat anything that doesn’t eat us first”. I was riding in a truck with one of those guys (long story) when he delibertly ran down an armidillo. He took it home to make stew. I went home before it was finished so I can’t tell you how it tasted.

  2. As you can see these people are savages and they will kill anything and eat it.Any animal is not safe in South Africa, they will find a reason to kill and eat it, this is a disgrace.

    South Africa still full of savages, I know I live here.

    Message from South African resident.

  3. Nal (from the ‘Corrections’ thread): “…In the Bad Bet: Vultures Face Extinction in South Africa As Gamblers Smoke Their Brains post:

    Vultures are disappearing South Africa. SB:

    Vultures are disappearing in South Africa.”
    ————

    “Vultures are disappearing (active verb) South Africa”. Freudian much? A bit of editorial bias peeping through Professor? 🙂 I’m kinda’ hoping so, I’m one of those ‘Earth First’ (as the answer to every ecological question/dilemma) folks myself 🙂

    Nal, welcome back, sharp eyed as ever.

  4. maverratick

    Nobody seems to take notice of the fact that the sun is getting brighter.

    Who told you that? it’s the exact opposite.

  5. Arrogant&Naive2say man overpwers nature. Of course there is a complete lack of evidence that humans are the cause of vulture extinction, but that’s not going to stop you people from blaming us as usual. Next you’ll be proposing a tax on vulture brain cigarettes. Nobody seems to take notice of the fact that the sun is getting brighter. Hard for a vulture to fly around in circles under a hotter sun, mmmm? Vultures already went extinct during the Little Ice Age. I’ll dig up a forest of links to right wing blogs once I finish pulling my head out of my ass.

  6. Another damn country where Karl Rove cannot travel about. What about his love-life? Does no one care about that ol’ buzzard? Maybe we can tell them there isn’t enough white matter to bother with!

  7. Smoking.

    Vulture.

    Brains.

    Well then.

    It’s going to be that kind of day, is it?

    That kind of day where you find out a lot of things about humans you wish could be unlearned or untrue.

    But of course it is!

    It’s New Year’s Eve. That night after the day where we are “the people we hoped we would be” when we become “the people who shouldn’t drink in public”.

    Happy New Year, everyone! Don’t forget to kiss your honey at midnight! Keep your vulture brains dry as you celebrate!

    Nothing can ruin a good party quicker than not being able to keep the vulture brains lit.

  8. Hmm, methink that there is am endless supply in Washington…DC that is….

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