Losing scavengers like hyenas and vultures could harm human health

Scavenger species play a role in cleaning up towns, scavenging on the animal waste that people have thrown away. 

New research has shown apex scavengers, large and specialised scavengers, are declining because of human behaviour. And it's putting our health at risk. 

One reason is that more humans and livestock become exposed to carcases. The other is that smaller scavengers, like rodents and feral dogs, come in to fill the gap, carrying their own diseases. 

Guest/s

• Chinmay Sonawane, PhD student at Stanford University 

References

• Global decline of apex scavengers threatens human health
• Public health and economic benefits of spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta in a peri-urban system