Exciting Vulture Feedings at Victoria Falls: See Why They Need Protection!

Who knew vultures are under threat and need to be fed! 

Well, they do at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Africa.

We attended the vulture feeding experience at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. It turned out to be one of the most interesting Victoria Falls activities! Bonus: It’s free.

(Victoria Falls, by the way, is the humongous waterfall between Zambia and Zimbabwe many people visit when on an African safari.)

Vulture feeding, Victoria Falls

Why vultures are endangered

Vulture populations are dropping like a stone.

In fact, vultures are on their way to becoming extinct in Africa.

Yet they’re critical to keeping the eco-system clean. By clearing away dead carcasses, they help to stop the spread of diseases like rabies, TB and anthrax.

Unfortunately, man has become their major enemy in Africa.

In 2019, hundreds of vultures were poisoned in Botswana, resulting in one of the biggest losses of vultures in history. Their dead bodies were found at the site of poached elephant carcasses.

Vultures are also killed by local tribes for traditional medicines.

In addition, they’re frequently electrocuted by accidentally flying into power lines.

Interested in beautiful birds? Check out these photos of the birds of Costa Rica

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge vulture feeding

The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is doing something to help the beleaguered scavenger birds.

For more than 20 years, the hotel has been feeding them. Guests and visitors to the area are invited to come and watch the show (called the “Vulture Culture Experience”) for free.

In front of the lodge’s Buffalo Bar, down a dirt pathway through dry scrub, there’s a “hide.” It’s a viewing deck with concrete benches on which to sit, covered by a canopy of branches for shade.

We first got a briefing on the plight of the endangered birds and their ecological importance.

Then the vulture guide hauled out a gunny sack and dragged it to a red patch of dirt in front of us. The sack held the heads, feet and leftovers of beef, chickens, warthogs and whatever else the chef hadn’t used in the lodge’s kitchen.

Then the guide tossed out the carcass bits and quickly ran away.

The vultures – which had previously been flying in from miles around and gathering on nearby trees – suddenly swooped in to eat.

It was quite a sight to watch them tearing the meat and bones into bloody pieces!

Vultures have wing spans of three feet. And we could hear the whoosh whoosh of their big wings flapping, as they pushed and jostled one another to get at the food.

We learned that the ugly red-headed birds were hooded vultures, while the others were mainly white-backed vultures.

The feeding we watched attracted more than 200 vultures (typical). And it was all over quite quickly – within 10 minutes or so…

Lunch at the Buffalo Bar

By then, we were actually hungry ourselves.

And so we headed to the Buffalo Bar, which must be one of the coolest bars in the world.

It’s basically a fancily-done-up, two-level, wooden viewing platform covered with a thatched roof, with buffalo wood carvings decorating the bar area.

It offers staggering views of the bush plain below.

It overlooks a large watering hole, where during lunch, we saw a herd of a dozen elephants, babies included, drinking and giving themselves dust baths with their trunks (by spraying dust over their backs).

The tough question was: Should we order the famous buffalo burgers?

We went for mojitos and the local “Zambezi” beer for drinks.

And for food, we shared a plate of two African pies (one beef, the other chicken-and-mushroom), along with fresh-cut fries. The pies are made fresh each day by the hotel’s pastry chef. Yummy!

We were also entertained by a couple of baboons that jumped in and onto the bar, snatching an orange and other fruit before scampering off. (We can’t resist watching monkeys, be it in Bali, Africa or anywhere else we travel.)

It was a very pleasant way to finish off our Victoria Falls vulture feeding experience!

Where to stay in Victoria Falls

We stayed at the 20-room Victoria Falls Safari Club.

It’s found on the same grounds as the older and larger Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. But it’s like a VIP boutique hotel-within-a-hotel.

The suites are spacious, bright and light. And the service is excellent.

You can use all the facilities of the larger lodge. But the Victoria Falls Safari Club is more exclusive and you get a more personalized stay.

That’s it for our guide on the Victoria Falls vulture experience

When you’re planning what to do in Victoria Falls, viewing the waterfalls, of course, trumps all other Victoria Falls tours.

This amazing curtain of water, almost a mile wide, crashes down from a height of over 300 feet. The falls are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World.”

Less dramatic, but interesting in its own way, is the free vulture feeding experience. In our view, it’s well worth attending!

Have you seen the vulture feeding? If you have, let us know in the Comments below!

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Photo credits: 3, 4, 5, 7, 11 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase

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