Vulture Culture Safety Tips

[image by me, gif by legend]

Alright everyone, it’s time we had a talk. Not a particularly fun talk, but a necessary one. I know many of us use animal products in our crafts, which is something I’m all for! What I don’t endorse, however, is unsafe practices when gathering said animal products.

 

While I could tell you not to gather anything ever, I’m well aware that most of you wouldn’t listen. Besides, animal products can be a great aid to the craft! I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of that. So, instead, I’m going to provide you all with some basic safety tips to try to minimize any potential danger.

So sit down, buckle up, and get ready for some Vulture Culture safety!

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What is it?

Since some of you may not be familiar with “Vulture Culture”, let me explain that first. Vulture Culture is described roughly by Urban Dictionary* as:

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”Part of the practice of taxidermy. The act of Vulture Culture is to search of the remains of an animal and take it with the intention of using the remains for taxidermy (skinning, using the bones/skeleton; etc).”

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In a witch or pagan context, this has an added layer of religion/spirituality/etc. You might be seeking out animal remains for spell ingredients, shamanic work, or any number of other things. Vulture culture can also sometimes be about preserving the memory and beauty of an animal through its remains. Whatever the reason, “Vultures” keep animals from going to waste all over the world

The main idea throughout all of this is the harvesting and/or processing of animal remains. Some might do this with animals they’ve hunted, though many people engaged with vulture culture prefer to use animals that died of natural causes.

 

I suppose I should say now that in this post, I will be talking about dead animals, and things such as removing meat from bones. If you’re squeamish, or this is something that might be triggering to you, I recommend you stop reading here.

* Yes, I know. I’m using urban dictionary as a source. It was the simplest definition I could find.

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WEAR GLOVES

Gods, I cannot emphasize this point enough. I don’t care if latex gloves are expensive. They’re more affordable than doctors visits. If you can’t buy gloves, then DON’T pick up dead things. It’s as simple as that.

I would hope that I didn’t need to say this, but I’m putting it in here just in case. Even if you’re scavenging for bones in the woods, you should still take this precaution. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

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Birds

Birds can carry a large number of diseases and parasites, and care should certainly be taken with their remains and/or feathers. A list of common bird diseases can be found here .

There are a few different methods for cleaning feathers, and these can vary depending on the type of feather. You can read about sanitizing feathers here and here.

When preserving things like wings, legs, and heads, there’s a few options. However, I recommend mummifying these things in salt, as it should also kill any bacteria involved. Please make sure that your carcass is fresh for this. If it’s begun to smell, it’s already too late to mummify anything. Same thing if it has any sort of maggots on it. While you may be able to pick them off, it’s likely they’ve already laid eggs. If at any point during the process your salt box starts to smell, something’s gone wrong.

This process can also be used for other small animal parts such as paws and maybe tails, but I wouldn’t recommend anything much bigger. You’d need a loooot of salt, and the potential for things to go wrong is pretty high.

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Time of Death

When picking up roadkill, it is also important to consider the time of death of the animal. Fresh, still warm carcasses, are much more likely to have living parasites in them. As the body cools, most of those parasites will die. If you found it out on a hot day, definitely consider this.

That said, the longer a body is out, the more flies and other bugs will likely be around it. These insects can not only ruin parts of the carcass, but can also carry a number of diseases themselves. Regardless of the time and temperature of the body, do take utmost care with these things. You can read about this a bit more in depth here.

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Know The Laws

Finally, it is important that one knows the laws of their area before engaging in vulture culture. In some places, collecting roadkill is not legal, in others it is, or a permit is required. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 limits the possession of many bird products in the United States. While this was done to protect certain species from poachers, it applies to already dead birds as well.

If you are unsure of the laws in your area, you can email or call the law organization responsible for wildlife preservation near you. In the United States, this would be the Fish And Game Club for your state. There is also a handy guide for the 50 states found here, though I would be sure to double check, as it was written in 2016 and legislation may have been changed.

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In Closing…

Please do the necessary research before even attempting to process any animal parts. There’s a lot more to know than the very basics that I outlined here. If you’re processing bones, you’ll definitely want to look up the specifics of that, as there are many ways to not only be unsafe, but also to ruin your bones.

I am by no means encouraging anyone to engage in vulture culture, especially if they’re not comfortable with it. This post is intended to keep people safe, and nothing more. That said, if anyone has any specific questions, I’d be happy to help, or at the very least direct them to the proper resources.